The Ministry of Education disclosed on 2nd that it has dismissed Son Hyo-sook, the head of the conservative educational organization Libar School, who was embroiled in allegations of manipulating public opinion in the presidential election through comments.
Spokesperson Ku Yeon-hee said during a regular briefing held at the Government Sejong Convention Center that "the issue raised is sensitive, so Son was dismissed from the advisory committee as of 1st,"
According to the Ministry of Education, Son was appointed as an educational policy advisory committee member to advise the Minister on policies for one year last June. This dismissal occurred just over 10 days before the end of her term.
Spokesperson Ku noted, "The educational policy advisory committee currently has a total of 124 commissioners divided by sectors," adding, "Son did not notably engage in advisory activities and had only attended a related workshop recently."
He further stated, "Since it is a simple advisory role, it seems various individuals with diverse inclinations, such as progressive and conservative, were included, and it appears that political neutrality was not specifically verified at the time of appointment."
Spokesperson Ku also remarked that the Ministry of Education was unaware of the allegations regarding the comment brigade at the time of Son's appointment, saying, "Although her term is nearly over, I will inquire with the relevant department about whether there are issues with her and other advisory committee members, and if an investigation is possible."
He addressed claims suggesting that Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Joo-ho was involved in Son's appointment as an advisory committee member, saying, "The advisory committee is selected by department, so the acting prime minister would not know all 124 advisory committee members," adding, "The likelihood that the acting prime minister personally knew Son is low."
Earlier, the online media Newstapa reported on May 30 that Libar School recruited a comment team called "the army of freedom fingers saving the country with comments" (Jasongoon) by offering certificates for instructors at Nourishing School. Members of this comment team allegedly distorted extreme right education while working as after-school instructors for elementary students at Nourishing School.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Education revealed that following an investigation, it was found that Son had entered into a business agreement with Seoul National University of Education earlier this year under the name of the Korea Nourishing Association, supplying Nourishing School instructors to 10 elementary schools in the Seoul area.
Spokesperson Ku stated, "The Nourishing program was developed by Seoul National University of Education with funding support from the Creative Foundation, and instructor training was also handled by Seoul National University of Education," explaining, "Libar School had a cooperative relationship to recruit and send instructors."
In response, the Ministry of Education plans to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the relationship between the Nourishing program and Libar School alongside the 17 regional education offices.