Cha Jung-in, chairman of the National Education Commission, bowed his head and said he was "deeply sorry" over allegations that his older sister operates an unlicensed international school.
Cha made the remarks during a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly's Education Committee on the 23rd, after Rep. Seo Beom-soo of the People Power Party raised the allegations. "I feel truly regretful and express my regret that a member of my family appears to have caused a public controversy," Cha said. "I understand that the matter will proceed strictly in accordance with legal procedures administratively."
The allegations began with a petition posted on the National Assembly's electronic petition website. The petition said an unlicensed international school in Incheon had been plagued by problems including student safety, meal hygiene, tuition refunds and unpaid wages for faculty and staff, and that the school's board chair was Cha's older sister. The petitioner claimed the board chair had mentioned that Cha was her younger brother while recruiting students, and asked for a review of possible conflicts of interest in Cha's official duties.
"I have had no contact with my sister for more than 10 years," Cha said. "I thought that offering advice could instead send the wrong signal, so I have adhered to a principle of never intervening at all."
Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said the ministry had issued an initial notice on the matter on June 30 and a second notice on Sept. 24 after the problems were not corrected. "We understand that the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education plans to file a criminal complaint or refer the case to investigators in November," he said.