Released on = January 25, 2007, 3:23 am

Press Release Author = Korean Teachers Union

Industry = Non Profit

Press Release Summary = Frustrated by the \"unification education\" promoted by the
Ministry of Education, police and prosecutors in Korea are targeting teachers who
attempt to implement the curriculum. Two high profile teachers have been held in the
interrogation center of the Seoul Police Agency for over a week.

Press Release Body = FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Middle School Teachers Held Under National Security Law

Law from 1948 Used to Attack Teachers Promoting Peaceful Unification

SEOUL, Jan 25, 2007 /Korean Teachers Union/ -- Two teachers have been detained by
police after prosecutors charged them with violating the National Security Law.

The maximum penalty under the law is death.

Choi Hwa-seop, a teacher at Myeongil Middle School, and Kim Maeng-gyu, who teaches
at Cheongdam Middle School, have been held in isolation under the Seoul National
Police Agency in Jangandong since January 18th.

Police raided the homes and offices of the teachers on January 12th. The police then
requested that they appear for questioning. The teachers responded that they were
consulting a lawyer, and that they intended to appear on January 22nd. Police
apparently agreed to this.

However, police were directed to arrest the teachers on January 18th. Prosecutor Kim
Shin stated that if the teachers were not in custody, they might attempt to contact
an underground North Korean group, and that they would in any case brainwash
innocent young students with unification education. District Court judge Kim
Jin-dong approved the arrest warrant.

In October, 2000, Choi Hwa-seop was awarded a top prize by the Ministry of Education
for his work in unification education. In 2005, Kim Maeng-gyu produced lessons that
were widely reported by media as superior examples of unification education. These
lessons were supported by both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of
Unification.

Both teachers have chaired the unification committee of the Korean Teachers Union.

The arrests are apparently related to images of posters that the teachers had
uploaded to the internet in July of last year.
The Korean Teachers Union denounced the arrests in a press release. “If the police
are going to arrest and detain teachers for referring to North Korean politics,
prosecutors should investigate officials at the Ministry of Education as well. Their
Internet Peace School, for example, encourages students and teachers to explore the
political ideologies of the North.”

About National Security Law

The National Security Law has often been used to control dissent in the labor
movement and to stifle political debate. Amnesty International and many other
organizations have repeatedly called for reform of the law to allow for basic rights
to speech and association.

About KTU

The Korean Teachers Union, KTU, was formed in 1989, and was recognized by the
government in 1999. The union currently represents 90,000 teachers. For more
information about the KTU, please see www.eduhope.net.

Contact: Hwang Hyun-su, Chair of International Cooperation Committee, Incheon local,
KTU, 82-18-208-5482. chambb@ktu.or.kr

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Web Site = http://english.eduhope.net

Contact Details = Contact: Hwang Hyun-su, Chair of International Cooperation
Committee, Incheon local, KTU, 82-18-208-5482. chambb@ktu.or.kr