Education Minister Nominee Lee Jin-sook Admits to Violating Education Law

Lee Jin-sook (이진숙), the nominee for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, has acknowledged and apologized for violating the Elementary and Secondary Education Act during the process of sending her child abroad for early study. According to the office of Kim Min-jeon, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, Lee's younger daughter, A (33), moved to the United States after completing the first semester of her third year in middle school in 2007, subsequently enrolling in the ninth grade in the U.S. A attended a boarding school alongside her older sister, B (34), who had already begun her studies in the U.S. This early study abroad was found to be in violation of the regulations concerning overseas study under the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act. However, it is noted that there are no specific penalties outlined in these regulations. The rules state that only individuals who have graduated from middle school or possess an equivalent level of education are eligible for self-funded study abroad. If at least one parent travels abroad with the child, it is considered legal. At the time A left for the U.S., the current regulations had not yet been implemented, as they came into effect in 2012. Back then, parents were required to reside abroad for over a year, and their elementary or middle school-aged children had to accompany them for cohabitation purposes. However, in 2007, Lee was a professor at Chungnam National University, and her spouse was also a professor at Cheongju University, meaning both parents were residing in South Korea. Lee expressed her regret through the Ministry of Education's personnel hearing preparation team, stating, 'I feel sorry for not meeting the expectations of the public.'