The South Korean government is moving to amend the Teachers' Union Law after the Constitutional Court ruled that the ban on political activities by university professors' unions is unconstitutional.
Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon stated on July 24, "We respect the Constitutional Court's decision, which considers the special legal status of university professors, and we will promptly push for amendments to the Teachers' Union Law in line with the court's ruling."
On July 23, the court ruled 7-2 that Article 3 of the Teachers' Union Law, which prohibits political activities by university professors' unions, infringes on the right to equality.
University professors were allowed to establish unions following amendments to the Teachers' Union Law in June 2020. However, the political activity ban that applied to teachers' unions was also imposed on professors' unions, meaning that while individual professors could engage in political activities, their unions could not.
The court viewed this as an unreasonable form of discrimination, noting that individual professors are broadly permitted to participate in political activities such as joining political parties, running for public office, and campaigning. The court concluded that the mere formation of a collective body by university professors, who are allowed extensive political engagement, does not necessarily pose an immediate threat to the political neutrality of education.
However, the court differentiated this ruling from a previous decision that upheld the ban on political activities for primary and secondary school teachers' unions, indicating that the circumstances and subjects of the two cases are distinct.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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