I am writing this in indignation because the Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education has reportedly banned the terms "Mom" and "Dad," claiming they reinforce stereotypes. This is nothing short of "Jeongyojo" (Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union)-style education.

The debris left over from the 12-year era of progressive superintendents, who once dominated education in Gyeongnam, has surfaced in the form of this "abolition of the terms Mom and Dad." They call themselves progressives, but in reality, they were the Jeongyojo.

It is said that a person has three great opportunities in life. One of them is meeting a good mentor—a teacher who leads the way and pushes you forward while you walk your path.

However, the teacher in the Republic of Korea is already dead. Schools no longer have field days or picnics. This is because society has become one where, if an accident occurs, the school and the teacher are held entirely responsible.

Jeongyojo education that prevents people from trusting one another

Since the emergence of "education workers," parents no longer trust teachers, and teachers do not trust parents. This trend has spilled out into the world, making the current tragic landscape of the Republic of Korea a society stained by betrayal and lies. We truly cannot trust anyone now. It is because there are no role models, no honest politics, and no good mentors.

The Jeongyojo appeared in South Korea in the 1990s. The dangers of the Jeongyojo were already well-recognized at the time. Consequently, they were dismissed, and those from activist backgrounds in teachers' colleges were not appointed. Yet, they were all reinstated by Kim Dae-jung.

The greatest danger of the Jeongyojo was that they descended from the position of "teacher" to that of "laborer." Having abandoned the nobility of being a mentor for the vulgarity of valuing labor in monetary terms, the Jeongyojo began to cry out for "true education."

What they call "true education" is astonishing. It means that a world where laborers and farmers are the masters is a "true world," and education to create that world is "true education." In other words, they began an education oriented toward a proletarian revolution—one where laborers and farmers are the masters. And to seize control of the classroom, they began to attack school principals.

As a result, countless principals were driven away amidst finger-pointing and insults. That is how these education workers seized control of the classrooms, and that is how mentors vanished from our society. Only education workers remained.

Thus, education had its essential values replaced, shifting solely to the exchange of money and labor. Furthermore, the classroom became a production base for leftist personnel intended for a proletarian revolution. It degenerated into a society where a good mentor cannot exist.

We must now consider how the students who grew up under such education have been molded. Look at the current generation in their 40s and 50s. We must reflect on the gloomy landscape that was prevalent in our society at the time—from the initial trend of avoiding military service to a judge ruling that such avoidance was a choice made by conscience.

Do you not see those who live by deceiving the public?

In any society, the future of the nation and the people depends on the students we are teaching in reality today. The same applies to a family. Our children, whom we are raising, determine the future of the household. In the same way, our future lies with the students who are growing up right now.

When students who have abandoned the spirit of sacrifice and dedication for their nation, people, and family grow up, do you think only the teachers will be to blame? And how are we to judge the fact that the education the Jeongyojo ultimately focused on was pro-North Korean praise?

What use is it for our students to know that Kim Il-sung’s hometown is Mangyongdae? Can it truly be called education to teach the Pochonbo raid, known as the "Winter Supply Struggle," as an independence movement? The party that welcomed those Jeongyojo members—who led students toward being pro-North Korean—as national proportional representative assembly members was none other than the predecessor to the Democratic Party of Korea.

It has already been over 30 years since our society embraced the Jeongyojo. This means our students have been raised by the Jeongyojo for a generation—30 years. A tree reveals its true nature through its autumn fruit. In the same way, we must discern the true nature of the Democratic Party, the Jeongyojo, and pro-North Korean forces from the results we see today.

Because of these education workers, etiquette has vanished from the nation, and traditional order, such as respect for elders, has also disappeared. To what extent has it gone that even the words "Mom" and "Dad" are to be banned? During the Moon Jae-in administration, our society became one where drugs were sold in front of school gates, young students became addicted to drugs, and people were stabbed in the streets by anyone wielding weapons.

Politicians should be respected mentors. They should be adults who lead the people toward the light, serve as role models themselves, and set the standard for what is good and evil. Politicians should be the "adults" of our society. However, they are living as activists for a certain revolution rather than engaging in politics. Among the assembly members who call themselves "democratic fighters," there are as many as 20 traitors who have violated the National Security Act.

Among them are traitors who consistently lie, turn lies into news to deceive the public, and even manipulate facts. Even those suspected of embezzling donations sent to "comfort women" grandmothers are among them.

We live in an era where they try to cover up Lee Jae-myung’s crimes in the name of democracy. And a group of people who have seized power are flocking toward anti-Americanism. They have seized the judiciary and the media and created numerous evil laws.

Most of these anti-Americanists are fake 5.18 merit recipients. They are the ones often called the "Jusa-pa" (NL faction), raised by North Korea in the past. They are also the ones who ruined the country using the Jeongyojo. Such people have seized money, honor, and power, and are marching proudly toward the communization of the Republic of Korea, clutching their "gag laws."

However, the sun knows their true identity. The shadow cast by the sun behind them—don't you see the red agitators living by deceiving the people with the face of a wolf, a red tongue, fallacious arguments, and honeyed words? That is why I am asking the people: Do you still want to support such a party and the Jeongyojo?

Postscript: The issue of abolishing the terms "Mom" and "Dad" turned out to be a problem stemming from a work agreement with the Gyeongnam branch of the Jeongyojo. They apparently suggested using "Guardian 1" and "Guardian 2" instead of "Mom" and "Dad." Of course, it was retracted by the conservative superintendent.

There is no society as bleak as one without mentors. A society that has lost benevolent mentors who guide us toward the light, and students who trust and follow them, is prone to falling into a swamp of conflict and distrust. We may currently be living without mentors—without the sun that is a mentor. There is nothing left to see and learn.

◆ Poet Jae-Hak Jeong

Poet, Person of National Merit, Columnist, Promotional Committee Member for President Park Chung-hee, 36 years of teaching experience in the Jeolla province