The achievements of Anti-English Spectrum

There's been some debate as to just how influential 'The Citizen's Movement to Expel Illegal Foreign Language teachers,' better known to English-speaking expats as Anti-English Spectrum, actually is. Why not let them answer the question? For several years, Anti-English Spectrum has been maintaining a list of their accomplishments, which can be found here (first result). Thanks to Benjamin Wagner for finding and translating this; I added the article titles, links and annotations.

[Updates to this post were added in April 2012.]

__________

I would like to announce our internet cafe’s achievements and past footprints (for the benefit of first-time visitors).

2005.01.12
Anti-English Spectrum established, brought up problems with low quality native English teachers for the first time. Exposed to the world the English xxxx [Spectrum] site that is ruining our country.

[Here is how the site looked when it began (with photos from the Sexy Costume Party):]


[Here is how the site looked in 2006:]

Banner: 'Our homeland is protected by the blood of our ancestors'

The writing above is their statement of purpose, translated here.

[They fail to mention that the reason they started was because members of English Spectrum posted photos of what the Chosun Ilbo described as

a “sexy costume party” held at [the] Mary Jane club [in] November [2004]. Some 70 percent of the participants were Korean men and women, while the rest were foreign men and women.

Some of the women in the photos were harassed to the point that some of them needed psychological counseling, as I mentioned in this post, and which is also mentioned here. On January 13 Anti-English Spectrum also found and translated a year-and-a-half-old post from Korean ESL titled "How to Mollest[sic] your Students." By the next day several internet news outlets had reported on it.]

"An English teacher bastard's guide to molesting
Korean children (found by chance)"

2005.02 [Incorrect - actually 2005.01.30]
MBC 2580 current affairs program and morning news. Participated in shooting reports on English teachers. [Links: English Korean]

2005.02.19
Fully participated and joined in on the coverage of SBS’s 그것이 알고 싶다 [I Want To Know That] “Blond and Blue-eyed English Teachers.” [Links: English Korean, SBS page]

[This show opens with the following re-enactment of the "How to Mollest[sic] your Students" post that Anti-English Spectrum had translated and disseminated a month earlier.]



2005.02 (end)
Conducted 3 separate campaigns in front of Hongdae, Myongdong, Shinchon and Seoul Girls Highschool). [Campaigns to oust illegal native English teachers]
[Link: First result here]




2005.01 to present
Submitted countless [hundreds of] petitions to the MOJ, Immigration, Supreme Prosecutor’s Office and Education Ministry.
[resulting in]
- strengthened E-2 visa related documents at Immigration
- active and full-blown crackdown operations on illegal English teachers by related organizations
- southern district prosecutor’s office deported 69 fake academic credential teachers in Oct. 2005

2005.01 to present
Extensive efforts in trying to get press on the problems and disorder regarding native English teachers. Scores of articles were published/broadcast! (MBC, SBS, Kookmin Ilbo, Dailian, Hankook Ilbo, Breaknews, The Korea Economic Daily, The Women’s News, etc…)

2005 - 2005.12
Conducted campaigns to prohibit illegal native speakers to teach and appear on TV.

2005.11
Visited Information and Communications Ministry, Ethics Committee to request that the native English teacher job search site English xxxx be punished for posting obscenities.
[That Ministry he mentions -정보통신부 doesn’t exist anymore - it is now split into four separate Ministries and Commissions – he may have meant the Korea Communications Commission.]

2005.01 to present
Successfully reported and closed down native English teacher sites and sites with posts that degrade women in Korean society.

2005.01 to present
Collected information and exposed illegal native English teachers and reported them to related institutes (cannot disclose).

2006.07
Visited the National Assembly (assemblyman Lee Joo-ho, etc) to request a bill to strengthen checks on native English teacher management policies / plans.

2006 to present
Efforts made to build opposing public opinion against the lowering of standards regarding qualifications for native English speakers by certain people involved in the English education market. Received confirmation from Education Ministry and Offices of Education that qualification standards will be strengthened.

2006.08
Participated in National Assembly public hearing (held by assemblyman Lee Joo-ho) regarding English education and delivered our Internet cafe’s position on the matter - emphasized that budgets concentrated on foreign assistant teachers should be used to support Korean English teachers and English students.

2006.08
Cooperated and participated in TV broadcast programs regarding problems with low quality, unqualified native English teachers.
2006.08.25
SBS 'Seven Days': "Unverified foreign English teachers, a danger to children" [Link]
KBS 'Center of the World': "Are native speaking English teachers really trustworthy/reliable?" [Link])
2006.09.01
KBS2 'VJ Special Forces': "The war against foreign crime" [Link]

SBS: "Unverified foreign English teachers, a danger to children" (John Mark Karr)

Made the native English teacher blacklist into an issue [in the news] (Breaknews).


[Though only the English Teacher Blacklist Breaknews article is mentioned above, Breaknews (or 'Inside Story' in its newspaper edition) did six different articles about English teachers from July to September of 2006, including:

07.24 “Low-quality foreign teachers absorbed in money, women, drugs.” [Link]
08.07 "Low quality English teachers: 'Korean women are a source of money and sex partners'" [Link]
08.16 "Women give English teachers 'full service like a king'"[Link]
08.21 "Affairs with High School Students, Spreading Nude Photos on the Internet" [Links: English Korean]
09.12 "Foreign teachers demand mothers in substitution for tutoring fees." [Link]
09.18 "Tracking [down] blacklisted foreign teachers suspected of having AIDS" [Links: English Korean]

Several other stories would follow from Breaknews over the years. All of the above articles mention 'tipster' Mr Kim (or Mr. K) and/or Anti-English Spectrum. In a November 2006 Breaknews article, Mr. K also makes comments, and is described as "Low quality native speaking teacher deportation site manager Mr. K," suggesting this is a pseudonym for Lee Eun-ung. Two days before that article appeared, an older BreakNews article was reposted at Anti-English Spectrum, and in the comments, members thanked 'Mr. Kim'. 'M2' - the ID of Lee Eun-ung, the manager and public face of the site - coyly wrote "I'm curious about Mr. Kim;..." Regular poster 'jasminhyang' later wrote in a comment "the first letter of Mr. Kim's nickname is 'm'."

In the last Breaknews article listed above, 'Mr. Kim' suggests that “E-2 visa requirements should be strengthened. … A medical check certificate (including AIDS) should be added to the documents required for an E-2 visa.” All of these articles were announced on the Anti-English Spectrum website; considerable excitement was shown by Lee Eun-ung about the AIDS article being published, getting their 'English Teacher = AIDS infected' message into "broadcasts, in newspapers, on subways and in convenience stores."

(I looked at this more closely here)]

2006.09
Brought attention of Education Ministry and Offices of Education to our endless problems regarding low-quality native English teachers. Made countless contacts with Assemblyman Lee Ju-ho and related officials at the National Assembly Education Committee to alert them to the dangers of low-quality native English teachers. Bills are currently being prepared to prohibit low-quality native English teachers from flowing into schools.
[Article titles (dead links):]
"Ministry of Education: Currently preparing to establish an organization to stop low-quality native English teachers from flowing into schools."
Ohmynews: "Education Committee Assemblyman Lee Ju-ho’s English Education Special Support Bill"

2006.11
Constructed an in-depth report and a report collecting victim cases regarding low-quality native English teachers. Distributed these reports to policymakers, including the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s Education Committee, and native speaking English teacher policy commissioners at Education Offices all over the country.

2007.01
Personally went on location to shoot a report on the problems with Hongdae Club Day, the gathering place of low-quality foreigner English teachers, for the purpose of broadcasts and press exposure. Breaknews, YTN broadcast the report numerous times by the hour. A barrage of civil petitions were sent to Mapo Police Station, and after the news broadcast, the police announced that it would implement a crackdown.[YTN: "Hongdae, Foreigner 'Lawless Zone'" - links: English Korean]

2007.02
After our cafe’s broadcast went out on the atrocious behaviors of foreigners at Hongdae clubs, Commander Bell’s U.S. forces in Korea were completely prohibited from entering Hongdae clubs.
[YTN: "U.S. Forces Banned from Hongdae" - links: English Korean]

2007.05.27
[Omitted from this list is another propaganda success by the group in tying English teachers to AIDS. As Lee wrote in February 2009:

In spring of 2007, our group received a tip from a woman who wanted help. A teacher from Australia threatened her, saying he’d had sex without a condom in southeast Asia and she should be careful of AIDS, too. The tip also said the teacher was loitering around her place, trying to terrify her. After this writer and others pursued him with the cooperation of relevant authorities, he was finally arrested by police in the capital region after living at a guest house in Seoul.

Sports Chosun: "From molestation to AIDS threats - Shocking perversion of some English teachers; Beware the 'Ugly White Teacher.'" [Links: English Korean]
Chosun Ilbo: “White English Teacher Threatens Korean Woman with AIDS.”[Links: Korean English]

2007.06
Cable network Olive TV's “Pandora’s Box with Park Hae-mi.” Collaborated and cooperated in filming 10th episode of Pandora’s Box – “Attention! Low-quality Lecherous Foreign Teachers!” Scored the biggest ratings record in the history of Olive TV.

"Illegal foreign instructors are violating Korean women!!!"

2007.07
Cooperated with related organizations to track, conduct stakeouts on and report numerous low-quality teachers with forged academic credentials, and successfully made disclosures and arrests. The process took months. Included in KBS, SBS, YTN main news. Reported in real time during news broadcasts. Maeil Economic Daily, CBS, No Cut News, Kyunghyang Daily, Yonhap News, Segye Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, etc…
Links:
SBS: "Faked backgrounds, molestation...'Wonderful native-speaking teachers.'" [Link]
MBC: "Native speaking teacher, Low quality teachers" [Link]
KBS: "Unqualified English teacher arrests" [Link]
YTN: "Faked Background - unqualified foreign teachers remain unchanged." [Link]

[An English language report about this is here.]

2007.07
Visited the Ministry of Justice Immigration Service for a meeting. Requested health check reports to be included in the E-2 visa renewal process. Emphasized that health check reports are the only legal safety measures that can stop the drug activities of foreign English teachers in Korea beforehand.

2007.08
Collected information regarding low-quality drug-using foreign English teachers and tracked down their dwellings. Closely cooperated with related organizations to disclose 22 drug offenders, the majority of whom were foreign English teachers, and had them arrested.

This was featured on KBS, MBC, SBS, YTN, and made headlines in Korean newspapers.
KBS: "Teachers on drugs in English class uncovered." [Link]
SBS: "'Stoned lecture"; A heap of native speaking teachers uncovered."[Link]
NoCutNews: "To foreign English teachers, Korea is a depraved heaven." [Link]
YTN (link dead)

2007.09
KBS 2TV “In-Depth 60 Minutes” 1st segment “What is the problem with these Native Speaker Teachers with Forged Degrees?” Actively participated in covering the story and providing info., cooperating and providing advice through interview. Emphasized the need for health check reports and criminal background check reports, which is the major focus issue of our cafe. [Link]


2007.09
Visited National Assembly and had meeting with Assemblyman Shin Hak-yong and his group. Emphasized that an verification system must be enacted as law regarding unqualified foreign teachers. Received a positive response saying that an amendment is being prepared regarding immigration laws to stop unqualified teachers.

[On October 16, 2007 it was found out that Christopher Paul Neil had taught in Korea. That day, a story appeared on MBC news which Anti-English Spectrum took credit for. It was also broadcast in this news report, which followed a story about Neil with the segue, "Yes, problems surrounding foreign instructors are never-ending..."]



2007.10.21
Received an award of thanks from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in celebration of Police Day. Received this award for contributing immensely to police operations. [The award] was a recognition for our efforts in disclosing foreign English teachers with forged academic degrees and drug offenses.


2007.10.23
Was invited to attend meeting with Ministry of Justice. Meeting title: “A Meeting with Experts and Related Organizations regarding Foreign Native Speaker Conversation Teaching (E-2) Teachers.” Emphasized that health check reports, criminal offense reports should be included in documents required when native speaker teachers enter the country. Related organizations expressed agreement and said that these would be reflected in policies. Requested that unjust profits should be recovered when punishing illegal native English teachers, and surcharges [monetary fines?] should be greatly increased.


[The bottom of the poster shows the list of participants at this significant meeting, including officials from the Ministry of Justice, the foreign-policy division of the Immigration Office, representatives from the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. From private sector we find the Director of the Association of Foreign Language Academies and Lee Eun-ung, chairman of the Citizens' Movement to Expel Illegal Foreign Language teachers.]

2007.10.26
Visited National Assembly to meet with assemblyman Min Byung-doo and his group, and emphasized the need for a strengthened verification system regarding unqualified native speaker English teachers and an increase in budget to support Korean English teachers as fundamental solution.

2007.10.27
The Ministry of Justice announced that starting from December, native speaker English teachers will be required to submit health check reports and criminal background check reports in regard to E-2 visa procedures.
KBS: "Foreign Teacher with Criminal Record Entry Restriction" [Link]
YTN: "Native Speaking Teacher Criminal Record Check Requirement" [Link]
SBS: "Foreign Teacher's Criminal Record must be Confirmed for Entry" [Link]

E-2 Policy Memo

2007.12.15
The Ministry of Justice, Immigration Service announced a new E-2 visa related enforcement ordinance, providing basis [for new] visa [procedures]. It was announced that [visa procedures were to include health check reports (drugs, AIDS, STDs) and criminal background checks, thus cutting off the flow of unqualified foreign teachers [into Korea].

2007.12.28
KBS 2TV “VJ Special Forces” episode 375 segment "Protect the Republic of Korea! Foreigner Crimes are a Top Priority Emergency.” [Link] Participated in the shooting of the program and helped in getting it broadcast. Provided information regarding the gathering places of low-quality foreigner teachers and illegal teaching activities. Alerted the people to the ugly behaviors of unqualified foreigner English teachers and cooperated with [the program] “VJ Special Forces” for two years straight.

2008.01.28
Interview with Kyunghyang Daily’s weekly current affairs magazine “Newsmaker.” Explained the falsity of claims by hagwon recruiters regarding E-2 visa policy enforcement laws and also delivered our concerned views. Feb. 5th, 2008, No. 761, page 46. "Native speaking teacher 'inadequate supply?'" [Link]


2008.03.21
Interview with MBC’s “Son Seok-hee’s Viewpoint Focus” Alerted the people to our café’s activities and the problems with illegal teachers. The “Viewpoint Focus” website put up an email address for people to report illegal foreigner teachers, together with our cafe’s Internet address.
[Link to interview transcription - first result here]

2008.03.24
MBC "Live Broadcast Topic Focus" program, “Situation Report on Native Speaker English Teachers; Do We Know Our Children's English Teachers?” Provided info and cooperation, participated in supporting broadcasting efforts. Received thanks from writer/PD saying “This could not have been broadcast without the help of your organization.” Alerted the people of problems with illegal foreigner teachers. [Link]

2008.04.26
SBS and 3 other networks broadcast reports. Exposed 9 people, including cannabis-smoking native speaker English teachers at a well-known hagwon in Ilsan and employment brokers. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency arrested these people. Our group tracked down these people for 100 days in cooperation with relevant agencies, and also conduced a 17-day stakeout to solve this case. Was able to get reports broadcasted regarding the MOJ’s E-2 visa policies that exclude cannabis tests, and drew attention to the issue. Submitted petitions to relevant institutes. Requested to relevant institutes that these policies in error be fixed. Received apologies in response.
SBS: "With no Marijuana Test, More Pot-smoking Native Speaking Teachers Uncovered" [Link]
CBS: "More [Pot] Smoking Teachers... Regular [Pot] Smoking Native Speaker Arrested" [Link]



2008.05.04
Booked 10 people including teachers with forged degrees and those involved in illegal job placement , etc., and these included the arrest of two 2 foreign teachers who were charged with forged degrees, laundered nationalities and sexually molesting a high school student. Broadcast on MBC, SBS, Yonhap.
Yonhap: "Unqualified native speaking teacher with fake degrees, nationality exposed" [Link]
MBC: "Unqualified native speaking teacher with fake degrees, nationality exposed" [Link]

2008.07.08
KBS news reported on illegal unqualified foreigner teachers that we exposed. Tracked down an unqualified teacher with an STD and reported to him Immigration Service. Based on information on this person, 6 unqualified teachers, brokers and about 40 hagwons that employed such teachers were exposed, according to responses to us by related organizations.
KBS: "Fake native speaking English teacher exposed." [Link]

2008.08
Together with Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, captured 3 native speaker teachers involved in cultivating cannabis, and brought them to court. Three Canadian teachers were arrested right before trying to leave the country. Using equipment in their homes, they were involved in growing and smoking cannabis.

2008.09.04
Raised attention to the issue of [sexual] relationships involving money with foreigner teachers on the KBS program “World’s Morning.” Cooperated by providing much information and advice, and was interviewed on behalf of the group.

2008.09.29
Attended Meeting held by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Dept. of External Affairs to devise countermeasures regarding foreigner crimes, and delivered our opinions. Asserted that [procedures for] questioning of suspicious persons [by police] should be permanently established in order to be protected from foreigner crimes. Requested information exchange regarding the residences of problematic foreigners, in collaboration with the Immigration Service. Requested that foreigner crimes be dealt with strictly.

2008.11
Cooperated with Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Dept. of External Affairs, and exposed a foreigner teacher with forged academic degrees who had been illegally sojourning and hiding out for 12 years. Also, a group working illegally as a teacher employment agency through the Internet for many years was booked without detention. This was made into news reports and articles through countless press and broadcasting outlets. Interview with MBC’s "World's Morning" [sic - actually "This Morning"]

MBC: Native speaking English teacher with fake degree from U.S. university arrested" [Link]
Herald News: "Korean society is too easy on white people." [Link]
CBS: "Native speaking teacher with faked academic background." [Link]



2008.11
Video interview with Seoul Shinmun. “Drug-using Foreigner Teacher Caught After 150-Day Stakeout” This article alerted our group’s activities and purpose to the people and received much support and encouragement. [Links: English Korean Video of Lee]


2009.01
Exposed & deported a foreigner professor with a previous sexual crime record. Found out information on the sex crime records of the professor, who was working at the English and English Literature Dept. of a university in Daejeon, and reported it to relevant institutes. Got him ousted from Korea.
"'Shocking' - American teacher convicted of child molestation teaching at a university in Korea" CBS, Chosun Ilbo, Kyunghyang Shinmun [all have the above title; also Korea Times]

2009.01.14
Had meeting with Representative (Assemblywoman) Choi Young-Hee of the National Assembly Youth (Juvenile) Committee, and requested that the E-1 visa [procedures] include criminal background check reports. Requested that a reporting system be established that will allow the mandatory reporting by hagwons to Offices of Education whenever sex crimes by foreigner teachers occur. [Link]




2009.01.30
Daejeon KBS Chungcheong Patrol Program, “The Two Faces of Foreigner English Teachers” was broadcast. [Link (page 2)] Cooperated and participated in the shooting of the program and also did interviews. Alerted the Chungcheong[-do] area of the problems of foreigner teachers and professors, and exposed the problems of E-1 visas (professor visas). Played a decisive role in deporting a foreigner professor who had a sex crime past.

2009.02.15, 02.19
In order to notify the people of the unfounded falsehood of the petition submitted to the NHRCK regarding the AIDS and drug testing of foreigner teachers, we personally created articles that were then published in Seoul Shinmun, Weekly Kyunghyang.
Seoul Shinmun: “Do AIDS Tests for Foreign Teacher Constitute Discrimination?” [Link]
Weekly Kyunghyang: “Do Drug Tests for Foreigner Teachers Constitute Discrimination?” [Links: English Korean]

2009.03.24
Brought the attention of the chief of investigation at Immigration Service to the issue of discrepancies between foreigner addresses on record with the Immigration Service and their actual addresses, explaining that this difference causes too much time wasted when tracking down unqualified foreigner teachers in cooperation with relevant investigative agencies. Requested that improvements be made regarding this difficulty. Intensive discussions and examinations regarding this issue will be conducted during policy meetings scheduled in the latter half of this year.

2009.05.08
Proved the falsity of claims by foreigner teachers saying that Koreans are distorting [facts about] foreigner teachers, and their claims that AIDS and drug tests are discriminatory. Seoul [Metropolitan Police] Agency External Affairs exposed drug-using foreigner teachers. (this was broadcast).
MBC: "Native speaking teachers who regularly take drugs uncovered" [Link]
YTN: "Drug smoking native speaking teachers" [Link]
MBN: "Foreign teachers smoked drugs prior to elementary school class" [Link]

[Not mentioned here is that the same day, a Police report of Drug arrests for March and April was released, and most articles focused on a (Korean) high school teacher and minister who had been arrested. The only newspaper article (as opposed to TV networks) which focused on the arrest of 6 English teachers was a Donga Ilbo article written by Lee Mi-ji, who is mentioned on the Anti-English Spectrum site. On May 20, this reporter wrote another article featuring an interview with Lee Eun-ung, who called for teachers to be detained after every arrest.]

2009.06.29
Chosun Ilbo created great waves through society by extensively reporting about our group, and struck a responsive chord with relevant institutes and the Korean people, while also stirring up feelings of caution.
[The series, by Chosun.com intern reporter Choi Hui-seon, was titled 'Native speaking teacher frauds."]
"The sex crimes of native speaking teachers who don't distinguish between young students and female coworkers" [English Korean]
"'[We're] Substitutes for married women's husbands...' The demeaning words of some native speaking teachers." [Links English Korean]
"Can even high school dropouts live in Korea?" [Links: English Korean]
"Foreigner with 9 crimes on his record professor at distinguished Korean university" [Links: English Korean]
"Native speaking teachers only protest articles criticizing them without reflection" [Links: English Korean]

2009.07
14 native speaker teacher foreigners were arrested on gambling and drug charges. Korean people were alerted to the seriousness of the matter.
KBS: "''Out of Control Foreigner English Teacher' Teaches Class while High and Commits Sexual Molestation." [Link]
MBC: "'Regular gambling/drug use' - Many foreign teachers booked" [Link]
MBN: "Many foreign English teachers stained by drugs and gambling exposed" [Link]

2009.08.24
In Weekly Chosun No. 2069, [I] contributed an article under the title "Advice from an Activist involved in the Movement to Expel Illegal Foreign Language Teachers." [Here I] point out and discuss problems such as distortions about native speaker teachers and various points of view toward them. [Links: English Korean]

2009 September
In preparation for a National Assembly parliamentary audit, we received a request for cooperation with data from the members of the education committee. We submitted data such as a list if unfit instructors and problems with and alternatives to measures related to administering them. At the request of the auditing institution we submitted a list of unfit instructors.

[Who knows if this had anything to do with GNP Rep. Park Min-sik saying, "The flood of unqualified native speaking teachers is the Government’s responsibility," or GNP Rep. Lee Ju-yeong saying, "Of foreigners, native speaking teachers are especially potential child molesters" during the parliamentary audit that fall.]

2009.11.26-27
Interviews with MBC radio "Kim Mi-hwa's Our World" and the TBS traffic broadcast "Seoul Plaza." [Due to] the serious problems with unfit foreign instructors and gaps in their management, we requested that the marijuana test be included again in the in the E-2 visa. [We were] interviewed about solutions and awakened the attention of citizens to our group's achievements.

2009.10 - 2010.02
We stood up to the native speaking instructors' distorted and biased article about the "Citizens for upright English education." We conducted media activities to correct the distortion. Native speaking teachers recognized that citizen institutions support our group.
Korea Herald: "One year later, ATEK struggles for recognition" [See also the first post here, titled "We declare victory in the struggle".]
MBC Son Seok-hui Attention focus (mini interview)
2010.02.05 Donga Ilbo: "Is the 'Movement to Expel Bad English Teachers' stalking?" [Korean, English]
We forced the deletion of the foreign instructors' one-sided article.

[No they didn't. They threatened to sue the paper, which removed the images taken from AES's website that were originally published, but the article they're referring to is still here.]

2010.03.22 - 24
CBS "Kim Hyunjung's News Show" interview, MBN Live Today interview
Let citizens know about measures against and examples of harm [caused by] the problem of native speaking instructors' molestation of children.
'[Should] foreigners [who commit] sex crimes be deported?' Interview on the subject of CCTV installation. Interviewed live on the topic of 'What is the cause of native speaking teachers being unfit teachers?'

[A transcript of the CBS interview is here. I'll get around to translating it someday.]

2010.03.23
Gangster English instructor arrested for drugs and murder.
Cooperating with institutions for three months led to the arrest of a murdering, drug selling, degree-forging native speaking instructor. It led to 8 related English teachers being arrested.
We let citizens know about the problems of verifying native speaking instructors and national immigration policy. Public broadcasters YTN, SBS, KBS, and MBC all broadcast reports.

[Oddly enough they make no mention that Ronald Rhee, the teacher above wanted for murder in the US who was eventually extradited, had dual citizenship and was not subject to E-2 visa (or any visa) rules. Not deterred by this, several newspapers published (without direct AES influence) articles with titles like "The country where murderers and drug criminals teach English", "The Seriousness of Foreign Teachers’ Ugly Double Lives Cannot Be Measured", "It Doesn’t Matter Even if English Teachers are Criminals?", as well as an article calling for Choi Young-hee's bills to be passed.]

2010.04.12
Immigration amendment (submitting fingerprints and photos) passes in the National Assembly. Since the beginning of 2005 we have [tried to] raise awareness of the issue of unfit native speaking instructors [with] arrest[ing?] national institutions and each part of society [in regard to] the seriousness of managing native speaking instructors and have constantly raised the question of fingerprinting. The ministry of justice legalized the submitting of fingerprints and photographs by foreigners and foreign instructors.

2010.07.09
Interview on SBS radio show "Seo Du-won's SBS Viewpoint" about the dangers and child sex crimes of native speaking teachers and measures to prevent them. Stressed that E-2 visa be strengthened and a federal criminal record check included.

[A transcript of the interview is translated here.]

2010.07.11-12
The ministry of justice announces that E-2 visa requirements have been strengthened, and the native speaking instructors' movement to abolish the AIDS test was blocked. We achieved through our effort the strengthening of the E-2 visa for citizens. [We] made possible the re-inclusion of the marijuana test, the requiring of federal criminal record checks, and the continuance of the AIDS test.

[They link to (but do not take credit for) this NoCut News article, which is translated at the bottom of this post, and which asserts that "deviant and criminal acts by foreign teachers have become common."]

2010.09.15
"Are native speaking teachers introduced to Korean culture through drinking parties?" [Korean, English] Article about problems with the Gyeonggi Education Office's GEPIK native speaking instructor training program (drinking party) and examples of the problems and harm to Korean teachers caused by unfit native speaking assistant teachers.

2010.12.08
Through an education broadcast we blocked the false propaganda of the native speaking instructor group. On the EBS morning special (English education lecture) program we blocked the native speaking instructor's political plot and blocked the goal of native speaking teachers to have access to student listeners. [More information about the program can be found here (first result)]

2011.04.27
In the Seoul area native speaking instructors were arrested for smoking drugs. For 45 days we cooperated with institutions and brought about the arrest of a native speaking teacher working at an elementary school. The investigation is under way as police try to ascertain how many accomplices bought drugs from or smoked drugs with this instructor.

[This refers to this arrest in April, the first reported foreign teacher drug arrest in nine months. A May 21 post at their site has more details (first result).]

2011 April - July
The Gyeonggi Education Office bans instructors from bringing alcohol to native speaking instructor training. An article exposed the excessive drinking at the Gyeonggi Education Office's 2010 GEPIK native speaking instructor orientation and demanded the relevant institutions rectify this. The Gyeonggi Education Office prepared a guideline banning instructors from bringing alcohol from April 2011.

[More about this was mentioned here.]

2011, mid-July
Meeting with 1000 university students from four Seoul universities, making them aware of the truth about native speaking instructors and the harm to university students caused by the native speaking instructors' generous and undeserved benefits. Meetings with university students outside Seoul are scheduled.

2011.08.15
Made successful a Chosun Ilbo article about native speaking instructors taking and distributing new kinds of drugs.
"Drugs are entering through Yougle (Youtube + Google)" [Translated here]
Alerted the nation to the spread of new kinds of drugs by native speaking instructors via Youtube and Google. Reported 20 such sites spreading drugs to an agency.
2011 August to September (Enforcement scheduled)
The Ministry of Education passed legislation allowing the disclosure of [hagwon] instructor confirmation on relevant office of education homepages. Since 2008 our group has demanded agencies establish a system allowing parents to confirm instructors on relevant office of education homepages and finally this legislation was achieved.
http://cafe.naver.com/englishspectrum/11009

2011.09.29
The native speaking instructors' petition to find the foreigner health check (AIDS check) unconstitutional is rejected.
To maintain the native speaking instructor AIDS test, our group urged media who form public opinion, the MOJ, public corporations litigating for the government, the Regulatory Reform Commitee affiliated with the prime ministers office, etc. that strong measures were required.
The AIDS test for native speaking instructors is still maintained.
http://cafe.naver.com/englishspectrum/11062 [Click first result]


2011.12.07
Seoul Metropolitan Council plans to gradually phase out the SMOE native speaking English assistant teacher system.
The hiring budget for SMOE NSETs will be gradually reduced and by 2014 NSETs will be phased out in secondary schools. Our group constantly asked SMOE and Seoul city to switch over the NSET budget to support Korean English teachers.
[For more information see here.]
http://cafe.naver.com/englishspectrum/10621
http://cafe.naver.com/englishspectrum/11130

2011.12.09
Made possible the arrest and expulsion from the classroom of murderer, rapist, gangster native speaking instructors who faked their academic backgrounds. These criminal instructors were arrested and punished after a year of effort.
[They link to TV news reports by KBS, SBS and MBC. More information on this arrest is here.]

2011.12.13
Participated in SMOE English education forum.
Requested the wholesale reduction of instructors and cuts to the NSET budget
Requested thorough supervision of native speaking hagwon instructors.
Requested that the NSET budget be transferred to the budget for improving the capabilities of Korean teachers.

2011.12.15
Cooperated with MBC Live Broadcast This Morning
Interviewed about problems with low quality native speaking instructors, cooperated with broadcaster. Made parents aware of the seriousness of the problem.

2011.12.19
Seoul Metropolitan Council passes large scale cuts to the NSET budget
Native speakers will be reduced in High Schools from 2012, middle school NSETs from the middle of 2012
We achieved the final goal of our group
Filed many petitions with the MOE, National Assembly, human rights commission, citizen rights commission [?], etc. regarding reducing NSETs.

Our cafe’s biggest achievement is that we were able to bring to public consciousness and established public opinion - among our people and related organizations - regarding the problems associated with low-quality native speaker teachers. This all started with the help of your actions!!!