August 9 Legislative Report: People Power Party and Reform Party Propose Resolution Opposing Military Academy Merger; Cho Kuk Innovation Party Pushes Private School Act Revision

Resolution Opposing Military Academy Merger and Expansion of Legislation Protecting Teacher Authority

People Power Party Rep. Yoo Yong-won and 41 other National Assembly members recently introduced a resolution condemning the push to establish a unified national military academy and emphasizing the need to preserve the unique expertise of each military branch. Reform Party Rep. Lee Jun-seok joined the effort, adding his signature alongside 38 PPP lawmakers. The move follows a consensus within the conservative camp that fundamental changes to the military education system must be blocked.

As security-related resolutions are submitted to the Assembly, institutional restructuring in the education sector is also gaining momentum. During the first half of the 22nd National Assembly, the Education Committee has been consecutively deliberating key bills designed to reshape the public education policy framework. Cho Kuk Innovation Party Rep. Won Pal-yeon introduced a revision to the Private School Act that mandates the automatic dismissal of incumbent private school teachers sentenced to imprisonment or heavier penalties with a final conviction. The move is interpreted as an effort to boost trust in public education by establishing an institutional mechanism to immediately remove teachers convicted of crimes, rather than engaging in legal battles over the severity of disciplinary actions as seen in the past.

Legislative Competition Between Student Rights Protection and Teacher Authority

Democratic Party Rep. Seo Jin-woong introduced a bill to amend the Act on Support for Teachers in Schools and Guarantee of Students' Right to Learn, underscoring the importance of protecting teacher authority. Furthermore, he is pursuing a bill to amend the Act on Transparent Management and Support of Educational Donations to enhance transparency in school budget execution. This reflects a policy judgment aimed at creating a virtuous cycle where financial support is directly and transparently linked to the classroom, going beyond merely advocating for teachers' rights.

Meanwhile, legislation advocating for student rights is also active. Ruling party Rep. Yang Hye-ryeong introduced an amendment to the School Health Act, mandating mask-wearing in schools to respond to infectious diseases. She also proposed the enactment of a Student Human Rights Act to strengthen school violence prevention and life-respect education while guaranteeing school autonomy. This stands in contrast to Rep. Won Pal-yeon’s move to improve the Human Rights Commission appointment process, targeting local government heads who have pledged to abolish student rights ordinances. How the legislature balances the interests of both sides at the point of conflict between teachers' rights and student human rights will serve as a key variable for future public education policy.

PPP Floor Crossings and Policy Implications

During recent plenary votes, internal divisions within the ruling party became starkly apparent. While 38 PPP lawmakers voted for the amendment to the Public Health Management Act passed on July 23, seven members—including Kim Hee-jung, Kwak Kyu-taek, and Park Su-min—broke party ranks to vote against it. Similarly, during the alternative vote on the Agricultural and Rural Community Corporation and Farmland Management Fund Act (June 18), 10 members, including Kim Jang-geun, Yoo Sang-beom, and Kang Min-kook, defected. Eight members, including Kang Seung-kyu and Kim Mi-ae, also took a stance against the Resource Saving and Recycling Promotion Act.

The fact that more than seven lawmakers broke party lines to cast opposing votes in three major bill votes suggests not merely simple voting disobedience but fundamental disagreement over policy lines.

The defectors appear to be actively reflecting the voices of small business owners and farmers in their constituencies regarding subsidies for the agriculture sector, regulations on the recycling industry, and strengthened sanitation management standards. The list of 25 overlapping and one-time defectors indicates that the motivation is not dissatisfaction with a single issue but a product of wariness regarding broad industrial regulations. On regulatory bills that directly impact the economic ecosystem, the lawmakers prioritized the realistic impact on local economies over political party lines.

Such internal disagreements are expected to act as variables in future discussions on industry and tax-related bills. With 3,700 public legislative opinions flooding in just six days after the government announced its real estate tax reform plan, backlash against increased Comprehensive Real Estate Holding Tax burdens is intensifying. If the ruling party leadership refers the bill to the plenary session without addressing key issues such as residency requirements or adjustments to the fair market value ratio, it is highly likely to face difficulties during the vote due to frequent floor crossings.

The legislature is being called upon to design precise systems to balance regulatory relaxation in the industrial sector with tax reform. Only by producing concrete supplementary measures to prevent defections on economic bills while mediating conflicts between rights in the education sector can the legislative momentum of the August extraordinary session be maintained.