Korean Teachers & Education Workers' Union
Encyclopedia
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) is a labor union
of teachers in South Korea
. The organization has 77,000 members (down from 94,000) among the 360,000 public and private school teachers in the country.
The KTU was founded in 1989 under opposition from the South Korean government. In response to its founding several thousand members were subsequently fired by the education authorities. The KTU finally received official recognition in 1999 after the election of Kim Dae-Jung and many of the dismissed teachers were allowed to return to their former positions.
A major contributor to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
, the KTU is criticized for promoting pro-North Korea
ideology as well as disseminating "anti-American
" propaganda.
By 2009, the KTU's ranks had dwindled, possibly due to parental and public opposition to its non-education related political activities. A series of scandals also deeply undermined the union's credibility, including the attempted cover up of a sexual assault on one of its members, as well as the sexual harassment of trainee teachers by KTU members.
In July 2009, the KTU's offices were raided by police on charges of issuing an antigovernment statement allegedly in violation of the Civil Servants Law and the Educational Workers Labor Union Act, which bans political activities for teachers' unions on matters unrelated to working conditions. Union officials protested the investigation for being politically motivated. Per request by the KTU, the Education International
, a multinational federation of teachers' unions, protested the investigations in a formal letter.
Оn February 2011, the Seoul Meteropolitan Education Board approved two KTU-affiliated school principals that caused controversies in their admission process.
Оn May 2011, KTU sued Gyeonggi-do regional politician Bak Gwang-jin, for releasing a list of teachers affiliated with the KTU.
On May 16, 2011, the head of a conservative parents' interest group Gyohakyeon (교육과 학교를 위한 학부모 연합) sent letters to approximately 60,000 KTU-affiliated teachers to resign their affiliation with KTU.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
of teachers in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. The organization has 77,000 members (down from 94,000) among the 360,000 public and private school teachers in the country.
The KTU was founded in 1989 under opposition from the South Korean government. In response to its founding several thousand members were subsequently fired by the education authorities. The KTU finally received official recognition in 1999 after the election of Kim Dae-Jung and many of the dismissed teachers were allowed to return to their former positions.
A major contributor to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is a national trade union centre officially established in 1995. Its predecessor was the National Council of Trade Unions , established in 1990 as an independent alternative to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. With 682,418 members in 2007, the KCTU...
, the KTU is criticized for promoting pro-North Korea
Juche
Juche or Chuch'e is a Korean word usually translated as "self-reliance." In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , "Juche" refers specifically to a political thesis of Kim Il-sung, the Juche Idea, that identifies the Korean masses as the masters of the country's development...
ideology as well as disseminating "anti-American
Anti-American sentiment in Korea
The Anti-Americanism in Korea began with the earliest contact between the two nations and continued after the division of Korea. In both North Korea and South Korea, anti-Americanism after the Korean War has focused on the presence and behavior of American military personnel , aggravated especially...
" propaganda.
By 2009, the KTU's ranks had dwindled, possibly due to parental and public opposition to its non-education related political activities. A series of scandals also deeply undermined the union's credibility, including the attempted cover up of a sexual assault on one of its members, as well as the sexual harassment of trainee teachers by KTU members.
In July 2009, the KTU's offices were raided by police on charges of issuing an antigovernment statement allegedly in violation of the Civil Servants Law and the Educational Workers Labor Union Act, which bans political activities for teachers' unions on matters unrelated to working conditions. Union officials protested the investigation for being politically motivated. Per request by the KTU, the Education International
Education International
Education International is a global union federation of teachers' trade unions. Currently, it has 401 member organizations in 172 countries and territories, representing over 30 million education personnel from pre-school to university...
, a multinational federation of teachers' unions, protested the investigations in a formal letter.
Оn February 2011, the Seoul Meteropolitan Education Board approved two KTU-affiliated school principals that caused controversies in their admission process.
Оn May 2011, KTU sued Gyeonggi-do regional politician Bak Gwang-jin, for releasing a list of teachers affiliated with the KTU.
On May 16, 2011, the head of a conservative parents' interest group Gyohakyeon (교육과 학교를 위한 학부모 연합) sent letters to approximately 60,000 KTU-affiliated teachers to resign their affiliation with KTU.
See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- Education in South KoreaEducation in South KoreaEducation in South Korea is viewed as being crucial for success and competition is consequently very heated and fierce. A centralized administration oversees the process for the education of children from kindergarten to the third and final year of high school. Mathematics, science, Korean, social...
- Politics of South KoreaPolitics of South KoreaPolitics of the Republic of Korea takes place in the framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and...