Five Economic Organizations Launch Economic Education for Secondary Teachers

Heads of the five economic organizations, including Chairman Park Yong-sung of the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI), will launch an economic education program for secondary school teachers.

The organizations announced on Monday that they would provide economic education to 300,000 secondary school teachers in order to inform them of the realities of the Korean economy and Korean companies.

“Anti-corporation sentiment in Korean society is unprecedented in the world,” said Kim Hyo-sung, President of the KCCI. “To begin with, we will provide an economic education to teachers so that they can teach students to better understand the market economy and the roles of corporations.”

The organizations will provide an education to 400 teachers in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk in two sessions on January 27 to January 29, and February 3 to February 5.

The heads of the five economic organizations, Chairmen Kang Shin-ho of the Federation of Korean Industries (KDI), Park Yong-sung of the KCCI, Kim Jae-chul of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), Kim Young-soo of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (KFSB), and Vice Chairman Jo Nam-hong of the Korea Employers Federation (KEF), will give lectures in person.

Participants will also visit factories of Hyundai Heavy Industries and POSCO.

The organizations will continue the education program during school vacations in the future.

“The goal of corporations is creating profits which in turn can contribute to social development, but some textbooks write down that the goal of corporations is giving all the profits back to society,” said President Kim. “That misunderstanding has led to poor public comprehension of the market economy and corporations, and worsening anti-corporation sentiment.”

The organizations will make and contribute 13,000 copies of economics textbooks to teachers across the country.

“Companies should bear the major responsibility for anti-corporation sentiment, but public prejudice is also to blame,” President Kim said. “I hope that this program will help teachers better understand corporations and the current economic situation.”

Participants will be invited by the recommendation of regional offices of education. For further information, contact Economic Education Team of KCCI (02-316-3706).

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