Second liberal education superintendent to be hit by corruption charges
since 2010 elections


A new corruption scandal involving the South Jeolla education chief is dealing a blow to progressive educational circles.

On Wednesday night, superintendent Chang Man-chai was arrested for allegedly receiving bribes and misappropriating public funds.

Chang will be the second liberal educational superintendent charged with corruption, following Seoul superintendent Kwak No-hyun, who was recently convicted by a high court for buying off his election competitor. The opposition denounced the investigations as persecution of liberal educators. 

The Gwangju District Court earlier in the day issued an arrest warrant for Chang explaining that his suspicions are grave enough to merit detention and that he is a flight risk.

The prosecutors of Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, leveled four charges against Chang: For one, he is suspected of receiving credit cards from two of his friends from high school and used them in wining and dining sessions. The bills topped 31 million won ($27,300) and 29 million since June 2010 when he took office.

Chang, who was the president of Sunchon University before he ran for superintendent, is also suspected of having misappropriated 40 million won the school received from a local company as a donation.

The prosecutors also accused Chang of taking advantage of 150 million won the school provided for him to buy a residence in failed stock investments.

Chang and his supporters said that the donated money is kept in campus coffer. Chang said he had never used the residence fee for any other purpose.
“It is true that I have received credit cards from my friends but they gave them to me without asking for anything in return and I offered them no favor. I thought my friends’ sponsoring me is better than being bribed by other favor-seekers.”

Chang’s scandal follows that of Kwak, who was charged with bribing his opponent to quit the superintendent election in 2010. Kwak lost at both the local and high courts. He vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court while keeping his office to continue “forward-looking policies” such as guaranteeing students’ rights to assemble and unrestricted hair and fashion styles.

Chang, who emphasized the motto of clean conduct and transparency in his election campaign, is known for designating more than 30 schools in the region as innovative campuses, adopting experimental but liberal curriculum and regulations.

“Before Chang, corruption was rampant in the organization. But Chang stemmed it. He should receive credit for the transparency,” a worker at the South Jeolla Office of Education was quoted by saying to a local daily.

Civic groups that support Chang formed an alliance and set out to save him.

“There are claims that the investigation is to suppress liberal educators. Rumor has it that another liberal educator is the next target of the political gambit,” the association said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)