2 Opposition Parties Voted for Extension of Teachers` Retirement Age to 63

The Grand National Party and the United Liberal Democrats took a vote for the extension of the teachers` retirement age from current 62 to 63 at the general meeting of the Education Committee of the National Assembly yesterday.

Despite of the strong opposition of the New Millennium Democratic Party that the extension of the retirement age will bring about a serious chaos in the education circle, 9 lawmakers of GNP and ULD, including 8 GNPs and 1 ULD, took a vote for the revised bill. 7 NMDP lawmakers all retreated from the meeting right before the vote.

The National Assembly will carry the deliberation of the bill at a general session on Nov. 29, the bill is likely to be passed since the lawmakers of GNP and ULD stand for the revision. Once the National Assembly approves the bill, 1142 and 1488 elementary teachers will remain one more year in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

Education committee members of NMDP released an announcement, criticizing "that the majority opposition nullified the education reformation according to its strategy for the next Presidential election. It`s an anti-democratic violence by the congress` majority, betraying the opinion of the people`s majority." Rep. Lee Jae-Jung resigned from his position of the Education Committee secretary to take responsibility for the approval of the bill by the committee.

Cheong Wa Dae is to exercise Presidential veto if the bill passes during the plenary session of the National Assembly. A high official of Cheong Wa Dae remarked, "it`s been only two years since the teachers` retirement age was lowered down to 62. If the retirement age is extended again, it will bring about lots of chaos including the controversies about the principle of equity. Veto is inevitable to maintain the principle."

Jeong-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com