Nominee under fire over old remark

[Anchor]

The newly appointed Minister of Education candidate, Choi Kyo-jin, who replaced Lee Jin-sook, is facing controversy over an interview he gave 22 years ago.

In the interview, he stated that to understand students well, one should bathe with them and drink alcohol together.

Candidate Choi expressed regret that some of his expressions were excessive.

Choi Kwang-ho reports.

[Report]

Choi Kyo-jin, a former middle school Korean language teacher and the current superintendent of education in Sejong City, arrived at his office today (Aug. 14) in preparation for the confirmation hearing.

[Choi Kyo-jin/Minister of Education Candidate: "I know I have a lot to learn, but I will do my best to visit the field, listen, and communicate."]

The controversial remarks date back 22 years.

In a 2003 interview with a media outlet in Daejeon, Candidate Choi stated, "To know who a child is, one must bathe with them and secretly visit their dorm to drink alcohol together."

This statement arose while he was pointing out issues with the education administrative information system, NEIS, which had sparked controversy over privacy violations at the time.

At that time, Candidate Choi was in his third dismissal due to his activities with the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union while working at a middle school in Buyeo, Chungnam.

As the controversy over his remarks grew, Candidate Choi's side clarified that it was meant to highlight the problems of evaluating students through NEIS, stating, "The evaluation of students should not be quantified but should be based on an honest and close relationship between teachers and students."

However, Candidate Choi acknowledged that he regretted some of the excessive expressions used.

This is KBS News, Choi Kwang-ho.