It is a shame that the top educator of Seoul City was found guilty of making a false assets report to the ethics committee. On Tuesday, a local court ordered Kong Jeong-taek, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, to pay a 1.5 million won ($1,000) fine for the violation. The court decision could cost him his position if it is ultimately confirmed. Kong said he would appeal, brushing aside mounting public calls for his resignation.
It goes without saying that everyone is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Of course, Kong deserves this presumption of innocence while waiting for a ruling by a higher court. However, from the moral and ethical perspectives, he might be hamstrung by the court action. There is no doubt that integrity is one of the most important qualifications of the city's education administrator.
How can Kong continue to stick to his post after he lied to the ethics panel about the financial assets of his wife? How can he spearhead much-needed reform to normalize school education? Does he think that he can set a good example to schoolchildren in Korean society, which has long been plagued by mammonism and corruption? It is an illusion for him to make any difference in the education sector with his tainted image and greed for the public position.
Most citizens can only express shock and dismay at Kong, especially because he is the first popularly elected superintendent of the municipal education office. Some regret that they have chosen the wrong person. Others complain that Kong has sounded the death knell to the nation's fledgling education autonomy designed to promote grassroots democracy.
The court said in the ruling that Kong intentionally omitted his wife's bank deposit of 420 million won in the assets report right before being elected in July 2008. Under the current election law, a fine of more than one million won or any prison term could strip those elected of their posts. The court also found that Kong was involved in money laundering to illegally use his wife's funds for his campaign. It did not rule out the possibility of Kong's losing the tightly contested election to his key rival without the hidden money.
Kong even touched off controversy over his improper method of financing his campaign last summer. The prosecution indicted him for borrowing 190 million won free of interest from his confidant and operator of a big-name cram school. Although the court cleared him of the charges, he is not free from moral responsibility for the dubious financing strategy.
What's more serious is that Kong has pushed a series of competition and market-oriented education programs, inviting criticism from progressive groups of parents and teachers who stress the importance of the long-held egalitarian education policy. Without building public consensus and confidence, he has recklessly pressed ahead with a plan to introduce international middle schools and set up more elite high schools.
Kong has come under severe attack for adding fuel to private tutoring while doing little to normalize school education. Now is the time for him to make an important decision to take the responsibility for his policy failures as well as his false assets report. We hope he will not miss his last chance to allow a better-qualified figure with vision and integrity to take over his post.