Seoul, South Korea - Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan was only one of several religious leaders who on Tuesday stepped into debate over a new private school law when he warned “education itself” could be compromised by the reform bill the ruling party railroaded through last week. "If this law goes into effect, it will be the end of quiet days at school. Every day will be tumultuous,” the cardinal told Grand National Party chairwoman Park Geun-hye in a meeting.
The president of the Christian Council of Korea, the Rev. Choi Sung-kyu, told Park it was not only Christians that are opposed to the measure. The leader of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism along with the leaders of seven other religious groups agreed to send a petition to President Roh Moo-hyun as well as embark on a signature campaign to void the private school reforms, he said. The Venerable Jigwan, an executive director of the Jogye Order, told Park “A few days ago, insiders at the Korea Private School Foundation Association came here to visit us. I felt sympathy when I heard them say that they have spent their lives devoted to private schools, but all private schools are now being lumped together and accused of being corrupt. They told me they feel like they are being treated like sinners.”
In a bid to combat corruption, the bill mandates that 20 percent of a private school board must be chosen from among parents and teachers.
Ordinary believers also seem set to rally against the bill. The Catholic School Foundation Association is to issue a statement saying the revision “damages the autonomy of private schools and freedom of religion, shaking the very roots of private schools run by Catholic churches.” The group will file a petition with the Constitutional Court and stage a campaign calling for the administration to resign. Meanwhile, the Korea Private School Foundation Association set up an emergency committee and petitioned President Roh to veto the bill.