Starting this December 2007 the Ministry of Justice will require foreign teachers to produce criminal records checks and medical histories

when they apply for the E-2 visa for language teaching.

If applying for the first time they must undergo an interview with a consular official.

Park English Team

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Foreign teachers must undergo check

October 27, 2007
Days after an alleged pedophile who taught in Korea was arrested on the lam in Thailand, the Ministry of Justice announced yesterday that foreign English teachers will be required to undergo a criminal records check before they can receive a visa here.
The new rule will take effect Dec. 1, the ministry said. Starting then, all foreigners applying for an E-2 visa, which is only for teachers, must submit their criminal record from the country in which they hold citizenship.
Anyone with sex- or drug-related convictions will not receive a visa, the ministry said, while those with other convictions will be thoroughly screened. The issuance of the visa will depend on the seriousness and frequency of the offenses, the ministry said. Detailed guidelines have not yet been announced.
The ministry said it is not difficult to obtain a person’s criminal records.
The new regulations do not require National Assembly approval.
The Justice Ministry issued the new guidelines following the arrest last week of Christopher Paul Neil, who had taught in Korea for a total of about four years. Interpol named him its most-wanted suspect for the crime of child sex abuse. He is accused of molesting dozens of children and posting blurred pictures of encounters on the Internet.
The new requirement, however, does not apply to other visas, including student, tourist and entertainer visas.
Some doubt the policy will be effective enough. “Quite a number of foreign students and U.S. soldiers teach English [illegally],” Kim Jae-won, an owner of an English cram school, said. “What about them?”
Currently, 16,000 foreigners in Korea hold the E-2 visa.
Many English teachers here welcomed the news, saying a large number of people are getting a bad reputation due to the actions of a small number of people.
Jennifer Hansen, a Canadian teacher, said, “Most foreign English teachers are ‘drug addicts’ and ‘pedophiles’ to many Koreans. I think the new requirement can change that. They’ll know that legal English teachers, at least, passed the government criminal screening.”


By Hwang Young-jin Staff Writer/ Lee Sang-eon JoongAng Ilbo

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