Gangwon Education Office Superintendent Sparks Controversy Amidst Teacher Memorial Rally
Gangwon Education Office Superintendent Shin Gyeong-ho received backlash after participating in a table tennis competition at a school sports club event on the same day teachers held a large-scale memorial rally in front of the National Assembly. Teachers’ organizations in Gangwon criticized the superintendent’s actions, deeming it inappropriate given the significant nature of the rally.
Demand for Apology
The Gangwon branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (KTU) issued a statement on the 4th, demanding an apology from Superintendent Shin. The statement expressed discontent over the superintendent’s public display of enjoying table tennis during the rally and his subsequent social media posts highlighting the activity. They lamented that while 300,000 teachers were passionately advocating for public education, the superintendent seemed disconnected and betrayed their cause.
The KTU further emphasized the gravity of the situation, with hundreds of thousands of teachers rallying together indicating deep sadness and anger towards the flaws in the system meant to protect educational activities. They criticized Superintendent Shin for failing to support the teachers and instead exacerbating their distress.
The Gangwon Teachers’ Union echoed these sentiments, highlighting the superintendent’s lack of empathy towards the teachers’ grievances. They implored Superintendent Shin, as the leader of Gangwon Education, to recognize their pain, offer an apology to the aggrieved teachers, and develop strategies to safeguard the integrity of the teaching profession.
The Superintendent’s Actions
Prior to the controversy, Superintendent Shin participated in a student sports club festival in Hoengseong-gun. He encouraged the participants and even played table tennis with a former national player, as stated in his social media post. However, this seemingly innocent gesture was met with harsh criticism amidst the ongoing teacher rally.
Education Office Response
An official from the Gangwon Education Office acknowledged the teachers’ anger and protests, stating their willingness to humbly accept the grievances voiced by the teachers’ union.
The Importance of Teaching Authority
Superintendent Shin had previously addressed the significance of teaching authority, emphasizing the need for teachers to remain resolute in the face of challenges and not abandon their classrooms. He underscored the importance of uninterrupted education in Gangwon, where students heavily rely on classroom learning, and any teacher absence can disrupt the learning process and inconvenience both students and parents.
By Park Soo-hyeok, psh@hani.co.kr
Gangwon Education Office Superintendent Shin Gyeong-ho plays table tennis at the Student Sports Club Festival held in Hoengseong on the 2nd. Shin Gyeong-ho, Superintendent of Education, holds social network services
On the 2nd, when teachers across the country held a large-scale memorial rally in front of the National Assembly, Gangwon Education Superintendent Shin Kyung-ho played table tennis in a school sports club competition, sparking controversy. Teachers’ organizations in the Gangwon region demanded an apology, saying the superintendent’s table tennis on the day of the large-scale memorial rally was inappropriate. KTU’s Gangwon Branch issued a statement on the 4th, saying, “The superintendent of education did not quietly visit to encourage the competition, but showed himself enjoying table tennis himself, and even proudly posted it on his social network service . As many as 300,000 teachers gathered and shouted for the normalization of public education, and the superintendent, who demanded ‘determination to protect the classroom’, played table tennis excitedly, felt betrayed, discouraged, and even age insulted.” He continued, “The fact that more than half of the people in one profession have gathered in one place means that teachers feel great sadness and anger, and that there is a serious problem with the educational activities protection system. Even in this situation, superintendent Shin, who is supposed to protect the teachers in Gangwon, pours water on the teachers instead of covering them with umbrellas to block the rain. The superintendent demanded they stop insulting teachers and take care of themselves.” The Gangwon Teachers’ Union also said, “Seeing superintendent Shin happily playing table tennis on the day he tearfully appealed on the asphalt in the front yard of the National Assembly shows that he doesn’t care about the sorry feelings of the teachers. As the head of Gangwon Education, I urged you to feel the pain of the teachers together, apologize to the teachers who were hurt, and think of ways to protect the teaching authority.” Superintendent Shin previously participated in the student sports club festival held in Hoengseong-gun on the 2nd and encouraged officers, and then uploaded a related photo on his social network service, saying, “I enjoyed playing table tennis with a teacher who was a former teacher. national table tennis player.” Regarding this, an official from the Gangwon-do Education Office said, “The position of the Education Office is that we should only accept the teachers’ anger and protests. We will also humbly accept the statement of the teachers’ union.” On the other hand, Superintendent Shin issued an appeal on the 24th of last month, saying, “Teaching authority is not suspended in education, but is maintained in the decision not to leave the classroom in in the face of any difficulties. In Gangwon-do, where there is only hope of learning in the classroom and only the school is the center of education, a teacher’s vacancy for a day will become too much confusion and inconvenience for our children and parents. Reporter Park Soo-hyeok psh@hani.co.kr
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