The voices of education, labor, and civil society are rising against the government's unilateral proposal to reform the local education finance law, demanding an immediate halt to the National Assembly's rushed review and approval process.
On the morning of September 15, 377 groups from education, labor, parents, students, and civil society participated in an emergency action against the 2026 education finance reform at a tent protest in front of the National Assembly. They condemned the government's push to reform the local education finance law and declared a nationwide struggle to maintain the 20.79% tax linkage system.
The emergency action criticized the government's decision to submit a proposal to the National Assembly after only five days of legislative notice, without discussions with educational stakeholders, calling it "backroom governance" and an "undermining of educational autonomy." They urged the National Assembly to reject the bill.
On the morning of September 15, 377 groups from education, labor, parents, students, and civil society participated in an emergency action against the 2026 education finance reform at a tent protest in front of the National Assembly. They condemned the government's push to reform the local education finance law and declared a nationwide struggle to maintain the 20.79% tax linkage system.
The emergency action criticized the government's decision to submit a proposal to the National Assembly after only five days of legislative notice, without discussions with educational stakeholders, calling it "backroom governance" and an "undermining of educational autonomy." They urged the National Assembly to reject the bill.
Education Leaders: Budget Cuts Unacceptable Amid Rising Fixed Costs and Welfare Needs
Education and labor leaders at the event sharply criticized the government's rationale for reducing education funding due to declining student numbers.
Park Young-hwan, chairman of the National Teachers' Union, stated, "The government claims that per-student grants increase as student numbers decrease, but fixed costs for maintaining schools, classes, and staff constitute a significant portion of the budget. In a time of rising prices and labor costs, freezing the budget equates to cuts, and the National Assembly must intervene against this reckless policy that ignores the need for quality investments in basic education support and special education expansion."
Hong Seong-hee, secretary-general of the Teachers' Labor Union Federation, pointed out the loss of procedural legitimacy. She said, "The government has pushed the bill through an unprecedented rushed process of just five days of legislative notice, ignoring the voices from the field. With many pressing issues in schools, such as overcrowded classrooms and the protection of educational activities, they are shifting the responsibility while tightening the budget. We urge the National Assembly to uphold the 20.79% tax linkage system and reject this hasty reform proposal."
Kang Hye-seung, co-representative of the Seoul Education Council, emphasized the essence of education investment. She remarked, "The talents that create Korea's semiconductor and K-culture ultimately start from early and secondary education. Instead of reducing education funding due to declining student numbers, we should discuss what additional responsibilities the state must take in providing personalized education and supporting students' mental health."
Park Young-hwan, chairman of the National Teachers' Union, stated, "The government claims that per-student grants increase as student numbers decrease, but fixed costs for maintaining schools, classes, and staff constitute a significant portion of the budget. In a time of rising prices and labor costs, freezing the budget equates to cuts, and the National Assembly must intervene against this reckless policy that ignores the need for quality investments in basic education support and special education expansion."
Hong Seong-hee, secretary-general of the Teachers' Labor Union Federation, pointed out the loss of procedural legitimacy. She said, "The government has pushed the bill through an unprecedented rushed process of just five days of legislative notice, ignoring the voices from the field. With many pressing issues in schools, such as overcrowded classrooms and the protection of educational activities, they are shifting the responsibility while tightening the budget. We urge the National Assembly to uphold the 20.79% tax linkage system and reject this hasty reform proposal."
Kang Hye-seung, co-representative of the Seoul Education Council, emphasized the essence of education investment. She remarked, "The talents that create Korea's semiconductor and K-culture ultimately start from early and secondary education. Instead of reducing education funding due to declining student numbers, we should discuss what additional responsibilities the state must take in providing personalized education and supporting students' mental health."
Press Conference Statement: Centralization of Education Finance Destroys Autonomy, We Will Fight Back
Kim Hak-han, policy director of the National Movement for Free University Education, Kim Sung-hyun, head of the National Public Workers' Union Education Headquarters, Choi Soon-im, chair of the National Women's Labor Union, and Kang Joo-ho, president of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, read a joint statement at the press conference.
They stated, "The government claims that the new grant law will increase funding compared to the previous year, but this is a misleading perception based on the main budget excluding supplementary budgets, which does not meet the rate of essential cost increases, thus actually reducing the capacity for education finance." They also condemned the government's proposal to convert part of the education finance into a fund managed by the Ministry of Planning and Budget, stating that it would strengthen central government control and weaken the autonomy of local education authorities, severely undermining local educational autonomy.
Furthermore, they warned that if the government and National Assembly proceed with unilateral legal amendments, they will expand their nationwide actions, including a signature campaign, one-person protests, and local citizen actions, to fight until the end. They reiterated their demands for an immediate halt to the reform of the local education finance law, maintenance of the 20.79% tax linkage system, and cessation of backroom governance while calling for the establishment of a public discourse body.
They stated, "The government claims that the new grant law will increase funding compared to the previous year, but this is a misleading perception based on the main budget excluding supplementary budgets, which does not meet the rate of essential cost increases, thus actually reducing the capacity for education finance." They also condemned the government's proposal to convert part of the education finance into a fund managed by the Ministry of Planning and Budget, stating that it would strengthen central government control and weaken the autonomy of local education authorities, severely undermining local educational autonomy.
Furthermore, they warned that if the government and National Assembly proceed with unilateral legal amendments, they will expand their nationwide actions, including a signature campaign, one-person protests, and local citizen actions, to fight until the end. They reiterated their demands for an immediate halt to the reform of the local education finance law, maintenance of the 20.79% tax linkage system, and cessation of backroom governance while calling for the establishment of a public discourse body.
According to a report presented at the press conference, education and civil society groups held an initial emergency press conference on July 21, demanding a halt to the reduction of grants, and officially launched the "emergency action" on August 4. Following this, they held a resolution rally in front of the Blue House on August 10-11 and delivered a petition signed by 34,929 citizens on August 18. However, on August 21, the government announced the proposal to abolish the tax linkage system and submitted the bill to the National Assembly on September 3 after just five days of legislative notice.
In response, the emergency action began a tent protest in front of the National Assembly on September 7, marking its ninth day on September 16, and plans to participate as discussants in the National Assembly's Education Committee public hearing to highlight the unjust nature of the government's reform proposal and call for thorough deliberation.
In response, the emergency action began a tent protest in front of the National Assembly on September 7, marking its ninth day on September 16, and plans to participate as discussants in the National Assembly's Education Committee public hearing to highlight the unjust nature of the government's reform proposal and call for thorough deliberation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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