Korean Teachers & Education Workers' Union

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KTU
Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union
Founded 1989
Members 94,000
Country South Korea
Affiliation KCTU
Office location Seoul, South Korea
Website english.eduhope.net
Korean Teachers & Education Workers' Union
Hangul 전국교직원노동조합 (전교조)
Hanja 全國敎職員勞動組合 (全敎組)
Revised Romanization Jeon-guk Gyojigwon Nodong Johap (Jeon-gyojo)
McCune-Reischauer Chŏn-guk Kyojigwŏn Nodong Chohap (Chŏnkyocho)

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) is a labor union of teachers in South Korea. The organization has 94,000 members among the 360,000 public and private school teachers in the country.

The KTU was founded in 1989. However, the South Korean government refused to recognize it, stating that there was no precedence for a teachers' union. Several thousand members were subsequently fired by the education authorities. KTU finally received official recognition in 1999, and many of the dismissed teachers were allowed to return to their former positions.

A major contributor to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the KTU is sometimes accused by opponents of promoting pro-unification and "anti-US" activities. Conservatives argue that KTU members downplay negative aspects of North Korea, and revise South Korean history. They also charge that the KTU is partly responsible for the spread of anti-US sentiment among the younger generation.

The KTU counters that values and norms in public education continue to be influenced by the policies of the country's military dictatorships, and that education policy priorities and school management structures require immediate and meaningful changes.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

  • KTU (English)
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