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The Busan chapter of the Korean Teachers¡¯ Union on Wednesday called ¡°malicious slander¡± reports on satirical teaching materials it prepared for the APEC summit, which lampoon President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S President George W. Bush and attack the regional economic gathering from an anti-globalization perspective. The union nonetheless decided to delete offending scenes containing four-letter-words from the video material.
The chapter said the conservative Grand National Party had been ¡°taking advantage of simple class materials for political ends, and the conservative media are siding with the party and condemning the teachers¡¯ union from an ideologically biased perspective.¡± The chapter said its accusers were within their rights to say the materials are unsuitable as teaching materials since the video tape contains slang and abusive language. ¡°But they are just a parody, and teachers can consider the level of students when they decide whether to use the material.¡±
The GNP has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the materials. GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye told a meeting of the party¡¯s senior lawmakers the issue was not political but went to the question of true education, ¡°whose aim is to guide students in the right direction and teach civic values.¡± The materials reportedly portray APEC as a tool of multinational corporations and the U.S., and invite students to stage protests against the November forum in the city.
However, the Information Communication Ethics Committee has turned down a request from the Education Ministry to censure the materials. ¡°Based on comprehensive scrutiny of the content and intention of the class materials, we have decided that they are not so excessively derogatory as to threaten social order, although they could minimally dampen international ties,¡± it said. The ministry has nonetheless ordered local education offices to take legal action if unionized teachers use the materials in class without the approval of principals.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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