Criminal record checks mandated by the 2011 Hagwon Law revision dropped for those with E-2 Visas

I missed this story when KBS reported it on December 17:

Government simplifies the criminal background check process for foreign instructors

The criminal background check process for foreign instructors wanting to work in our country's hagwons is being simplified.

Today during a cabinet meeting the government deliberated over and decided upon the "Bill to Revise the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lesson."

According to this bill, foreign instructors who have submitted criminal record checks to places like overseas embassies or consulates do not have to submit criminal record checks once again to the managers of hagwons.

The amendment described above can be found here, and it mentions that civil petitioners (most likely hagwon owners or the hagwon owners' association) were considered when drafting the revised bill. If we remember, in 2011 an amendment was made to the 'Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes and Extracurricular Lessons' calling for all foreigners working for hagwons to submit criminal record checks, proof of educational background and drug tests (with the partial aim of making sure non-E-2 visa holders were verified). Instead of taking into account that E-2s were already receiving these checks, it turned into a ridiculous requirement for submitting documents to both the MOJ and MEST, and even of the need to re-submit documents for those who are already here. Exemplary news outlets like NoCut News reported that drug tests weren't being implemented for foreign hagwon teachers (see the article "A stoned native speaking instructor and my child...?!"), and, along with other media outlets like Newsis (which reported "Only 1 out of 10 foreign instructors in Seoul hagwons are verified"), ignored the fact that all foreign hagwon teachers on E-2 visas had already submitted these documents. In fact, during its racist fair and even-handed series July 2012 nine-part series "The Reality and Twisted Values of Some White Men," NoCut News reported upon and castigated the proposed revision which was passed a month ago, based entirely on flawed 'reasoning.'

It's nice to see this passed at a cabinet meeting (and a better result than the last time the government dealt with a bill at year's end regarding foreign teachers), though nothing was mentioned about the possible duplication of drug testing or diploma submitting.