‘New Right’ Teachers’ Union to be Transformed

The New Right Teachers Association (NRTA) is set to reinvent itself to counter the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union .

Celebrating the second anniversary of its founding at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul today (Jan. 23), the conservative NRTA will announce plans to transform itself into the New Right Teachers Union (tentative name) by April.

This gives birth to the fourth teachers’ union following the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (KTU), the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union (KTEW), and the Korea Union of Teaching and Educational Workers (KUTEW).

“We concluded that a counter-weight to the left-leaning Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union is necessary in the education sector,” said Oh Yeong-se, secretary-general of the association yesterday. “So, in line with the inauguration of the Lee Myung-bak administration, we will also launch our organization.”

“We are also seeking to join forces with other conservative teachers’ unions including the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union and the Korea Union of Teaching and Educational Workers,” Oh added. “We plan to secure 30,000 to 40,000 new members to challenge the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union which has 77,000 members.”

Currently, the NRTA’s membership is estimated to be 8,000, and those of the KTEW and the KUTEW are 1,000 and 500, respectively.

To stand up to the KTU and its bias for egalitarian ideology, the NRTA was launched in 2006 and has operated under the umbrella of the New Right National Union , which publicly endorsed President-elect Lee Myung-bak in last year’s presidential election.

fineday@donga.com