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Amid rowdy scenes, the National Assembly on Friday passed a controversial revision of the private school law that will compel schools to fill more than 25 percent of their board with faculty members and parents.
The ruling Uri Party railroaded the bill through amid violent attempts to block it by the Grand National Party, winning the vote with 140 lawmakers in favor, 10 abstentions and four against.
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Grand National Party lawmaker Song Young-sun (far right) tries to pull Uri lawmaker Chung Bong-ju (third from right) down from behind to block him from getting on the rostrum to explain a bill on private school reform during a National Assembly plenary session on Friday.
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Seven out of nine Democratic Labor Party lawmakers abstained as the progressive minor opposition party wanted an even greater proportion - one-third - of the board elected from among people unrelated to private school owners.
After the vote, GNP floor leader Kang Jae-seop hinted he could quit the party post, saying he would take responsibility for the ˇ°illegalˇ± passage of the bill and the GNP decided to take firm action.
Private schools are also up in arms about the bill. Owners have warned they will appeal to the Constitutional Court, stage a campaign to reject the law, stop accepting new students and close down schools. They said they would initially close schools for one day next week and demand the resignation of President Roh Moo-hyun and his government.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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