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Members of the Korean Teachers’ and Education Workers’ Union stand in front of Cheongwoon Hyoja Community Service Center in Seoul's Jongno district

Teachers’ groups are warning of disobedience campaigns and “battles” as the Park Geun­-hye administration pushes ahead with a plan to designate official state history textbooks for middle and high schools.

The Korean Teachers’ and Education Workers’ Union (KTU), and even the more moderate ­group Good Teacher, released statements declaring they would not accept the new system­­ with all participants listed by name for the first time in history.

A battle in schools over the new textbooks’ introduction is now looking more likely than ever, with the Ministry of Education taking the unusual step of holding an emergency briefing to announce “stern measures” against “actions by teachers to compromise educational neutrality and incite students.”

The emergency briefing was held on Oct. 23 at the Government Complex in Sejong.

“We intend to take stern measures against instances of educational neutrality being violated through ‘emergency statements’ and signature campaign activities by teachers and politically slanted classes,” the ministry said.

The ministry also voiced “concerns about ‘special lessons’ that could plant slanted perspectives with political, partisan, or individual bias in students whose value judgments are not yet mature.”

“We also intend to respond sternly to actions such as on­ campus one ­person demonstrations by teachers and students, illegal posting of banners, and encouraging people to take part in candlelight demonstrations,” it warned.

The briefing comes after the KTU announced plans to release an emergency statement and hold signature campaigns to block the introduction of state ­issued history textbooks.

Teacher groups have indicated that they do not intend to back down against the ministry’s “declaration of war.” Around 300 KTU members held a nationwide teachers’ rally against the textbooks on Oct. 23, holding a march from the Bosingak bell tower in Seoul’s Jongno district to the Seoul Finance Center on Sejong Road. Afterwards, they presented the Blue House with opinions against the textbook plan gathered from teachers, students, and parents.

“Teachers are now fighting to drive a wedge in the political conspiracy [by conservatives] to twist memories of the past and regard the future as their own,” the KTU said of the opinions during a press conference.

“We will not break no matter how harsh the tactics,” the union added. “We will walk proudly to prevent textbook designation.”

On the same day, Good Teacher, an organization of Protestant teachers, held a press conference and issued a statement expressing opposition to state ­issued history textbooks and a commitment to teach Christian history. 1,017 teachers signed the statement with their real names.

“State ­issued textbooks are an excessive interference in education by the current government in order to inculcate students with its own political agenda. When the curriculum is subjugated to the powers that be, teachers become little more than their pawns,” the statement said.

“The move to take over production of history textbooks also reflects the intention to rewrite the school curriculum according to the vision of the ruling party, which is an action that would undermine the political neutrality of teaching staff.”

This is the first time than all of the members of Good Teacher have issued a statement about a social issue and put their real names on it.

“Even our more conservative members, including current school principals and members of the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations, strongly expressed their opposition to the government plan. This plan is causing teachers to regret the apathy they had shown about the school curriculum,” said Kim Jin­u, co-­president of Good Teacher. They are planning to put their words into action both in and outside of schools through more debates in class and through one­-person demonstrations.

On Oct. 22, teachers who belong to the National Group of History Teachers declared Friday to be the “Day of Action by History Teachers” and held assemblies and one­-person demonstrations opposing the introduction of state ­issued textbooks in Seoul and other places around the country.

By Um Ji-won and Kim Kyu-nam, staff reporters

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