Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin has closed his social media (SNS) account. He halted his activities after controversial remarks he made in the past on SNS regarding pro-North Korean sentiments and political biases.
On the 4th, Choi promised to refrain from SNS activity, writing on his Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), "There have been misunderstandings and concerns regarding my SNS activities that occurred unintentionally during the hearing process. I kindly ask for broad understanding regarding the cessation of my Facebook activities," before closing his account.
Previously, in 2013, he shared a conspiracy theory post on Facebook stating that the sinking of the Cheonan was not due to a North Korean torpedo, but rather it was run aground by a third country. On Oct. 26, 2019, he referred to the late former President Park Chung-hee's death anniversary as "Tangtang Day." Concerning the investigation into the admission scandal allegations against former Minister of Justice Cho Kook, he described it as "a knife dance by the prosecution."
On the 2nd, Choi repeatedly apologized during the National Assembly's confirmation hearing regarding the controversial SNS post. He stated that he "does not agree at all with the conspiracy theory" shared about the Cheonan sinking and added, "If anyone was hurt by that incident, I sincerely apologize."
Regarding the post related to the admission scandal allegations, he said, "Young friends must have been deeply hurt seeing that people can easily have opportunities that I find very difficult to obtain, but I was unable to examine that," adding, "I was very lacking as an educator."