Politics · South Korea · 7 hrs ago
Nine South Korean education chiefs urge political rights for teachers
Nine education chiefs in South Korea urged new laws to protect teachers’ political rights at a news conference in the National Assembly.
They said current rules broadly restrict teachers from joining political parties and expressing political views.
The chiefs called for teachers to be allowed to express political views outside school, join parties and donate politically.
They also said laws should protect education’s political neutrality and students’ right to learn while respecting teachers’ rights.
Last month, teacher and civic groups tried to submit party membership applications from about 5,200 teachers, but the two major parties refused to accept them, citing a legal ban.
The chiefs want the government and lawmakers to respond with legislation, but no specific next step or timetable was announced.
Nine South Korean education chiefs urged the government and National Assembly on Nov. 10 to pass legislation guaranteeing teachers’ political rights.
The chiefs said teachers should be allowed to join political parties, express political views outside school and make political donations.
They also called for legal standards to protect political neutrality in education and students’ right to learn.
The joint statement said current laws broadly restrict teachers’ party membership and political expression.
- Who
- Nine education chiefs from South Korean provinces and cities.
- What
- They urged the government and National Assembly to legislate guarantees for teachers’ political rights.
- When
- Nov. 10, 2026.
- Where
- At a news conference in the National Assembly’s Communication Hall in Seoul.
- Why
- They said current laws broadly restrict teachers’ political rights and called for those rights to be balanced with educational neutrality and students’ right to learn.
Nine education chiefs
Democratic Party and People Power Party officials
Party membership applications
Nine education chiefs
The chiefs urged legislation allowing teachers to join political parties.
Democratic Party and People Power Party officials
The parties’ officials refused to accept teachers’ applications, citing the Political Parties Act’s ban on teachers joining parties.
A coalition of 13 teacher and education civic groups staged an action involving party membership applications from about 5,200 teachers.
Officials from the Democratic Party and People Power Party refused to accept the applications, citing the law banning teachers from joining political parties.
Nine education chiefs called on the government and National Assembly to legislate guarantees for teachers’ political rights.
- Education chiefs
- 9
- Participating regions
- Gangwon, Gyeonggi, Busan, Ulsan, Incheon, Jeonnam-Gwangju, Jeonbuk, Jeju and Chungnam
- Application action
- About 5,200 teachers
- Organizing coalition
- 13 teacher and education civic groups
- News conference
- National Assembly Communication Hall, Seoul, Nov. 10, 2026
1 source
What people are saying
Teachers are citizens too. Teachers are educators who teach democracy to students and full-fledged sovereign citizens of the Republic of Korea.
The current legal system broadly restricts teachers’ party membership and political expression.
The election to choose an education superintendent representing teachers has no teachers in it.