One School Will See Half of Their Teachers Gone

'I insisted many times that I will not leave school but it's time to go.' A 60 year-old teacher, Mr. Choi, added, 'Many people told me that I had better leave before my age limit but it was very hard to look at children's eyes directly in class.' He applied for honorable retirement, through which he will retire before the mandatory age limit but can receive a bigger pension.
In his particular school, 12 teachers applied for honorable retirement. Last August, three had already left school. As a result, 15 of the 28 total teachers already left or want to leave school. Only two applicants will reach the mandatory retirement age in 1999. Teachers in their 50s feel very uneasy confronting the government's announcement on lowering the age limit. The school principal said, 'Teachers in their 50s are not sure they can receive their full pension after their retirement.'
In Seoul, 38 principals and more than 40 vice principals have already applied for honorary retirement. Furthermore, as of the end of last October, more than 12,100 teachers (3.6%) have applied for honorary retirement in total and 3,474 teachers applied for honorary retirement in Seoul.