Cheon Ha-ram, floor leader of the Reform Party, on the 29th proposed central government budget support for the Jeonnam-Gwangju integration and a state-backed system to handle lawsuits involving teachers.
Speaking at a luncheon meeting at Cheong Wa Dae that morning hosted by President Lee Jae-myung for lawmakers from non-negotiating parties and independents, Cheon said that during the review of a supplementary budget, 57.3 billion won in “essential” funding for the Jeonnam-Gwangju integration was cut in full.
He said the money was needed for steps such as integrating administrative networks and updating building registers.
“President Lee Jae-myung arranged the marriage between Jeonnam and Gwangju, but it’s not right to tell them to cover the wedding costs on their own,” Cheon said, arguing that the central government should fund the procedures required for the integration.
On a state responsibility system for teacher lawsuits, Cheon said the problem lies in the current setup. He said frontline teachers are expected to handle malicious complaints and then fend for themselves when those disputes escalate into criminal complaints, accusations or civil suits.
Calling it a system that leaves teachers to shoulder the burden alone, Cheon urged the government to pursue a policy so that, when incidents occur, teachers do not have to spend time going to police stations and courts.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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