There is strong backlash in the education sector following the revelation that Kim Moon-soo, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, had unauthorizedly sent out "Election Campaign Headquarters Appointment Certificates" to teachers whose political activities are legally restricted. The Jeonbuk branch of the National Teachers Union issued a statement on the 21st condemning the attempt to use teachers as political tools and demanding a thorough investigation and an official apology.

According to the Jeonbuk branch of the National Teachers Union, recently, appointment certificates bearing Kim Moon-soo's name were sent to numerous teachers nationwide. Some of the certificates listed education-related positions such as "Education Special Envoy," implying that they were sent with the understanding that the recipients were teachers. The Jeonbuk branch alone has received over 180 cases of damages.

The National Teachers Union criticized the act, stating that appointing election organization positions to teachers whose political activities are legally prohibited and unilaterally notifying them has clear potential for legal violations and poses a serious risk of leaking personal information.

In particular, this incident contradicts the People Power Party's recent education pledge advocating for the abolition of the direct election of superintendents and emphasizing the political neutrality of education. The National Teachers Union criticized the party, stating that using teachers as part of election organizations despite emphasizing political neutrality is hypocritical.

The Jeonbuk branch of the National Teachers Union strongly demanded a thorough investigation into the incident, punishment of those responsible, and three official requests: ▲ Kim Moon-soo's campaign should immediately disclose the process of sending out the appointment certificates and how personal information was obtained ▲ The People Power Party should issue an official apology for the related actions ▲ The National Election Commission and judicial authorities should promptly initiate investigations and prosecutions for violations of the Public Official Election Act and illegal leakage of personal information.

The National Teachers Union firmly stated that teachers are not anyone's political tools and that teachers who have been forced into political silence are now being violated again by unilaterally being listed in political organization lists, vowing to hold those responsible accountable until the end.

It has been confirmed that the People Power Party sent out appointment certificates in the same manner to teachers not only in Jeonbuk but also in various regions nationwide. Certificates bearing the titles "Election Campaign Special Envoy" or "Policy Advisory Council Member" were delivered to teachers in regions such as Seoul, Gyeonggi, Daejeon, Chungbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, and Jeju. Some retired teachers and instructors were included in the recipients despite their non-teaching status. Reports are continuously being received by regional branches of the National Teachers Union, with some branches initiating their own investigations. There are suspicions in some quarters that this distribution may be part of a systematic organized election campaign based on specific teacher lists.

So far, the People Power Party and Kim Moon-soo's camp have not provided any separate explanations or statements regarding this matter.