The decision on whether to use Chinese characters in conjunction with Hangeul in elementary school textbooks has been pushed off until next year amid much heated discussion.

The Education Ministry, which has been pushing to have Chinese characters included in elementary school textbooks used by third-year students and up, appears to have relented for now to its opponents, who vehemently opposed the plan.

The use of Chinese characters with Hangeul in textbooks was abolished in 1970, but arguments for its reintroduction have been raised from time to time, only to be defeated. This time, however, it was the Education Ministry that ignited the debate by proposing last year a plan to reintroduce the use of Chinese characters in elementary school textbooks.

The use of Chinese characters in elementary school textbooks has been a highly charged issue. At a recent public hearing, a melee broke out between the two opposing sides. Its proponents claim that teaching Chinese characters will enrich children’s vocabulary and clear up any misunderstandings that may arise from the use of Hangeul only.

Opponents argue that Hangeul is an easy to learn writing system that has contributed to the country’s unparalleled high literacy rate. They point out that having Chinese characters written next to the Korean words or even on the margins, an alternative that has been proposed, can be too distracting for young students and thus impede learning. They also argue that learning Chinese characters will be an added burden for students and one that is likely to lead to students resorting to private tutoring.

The reintroduction of Chinese characters in elementary textbooks also goes against the current trend of using only Hangeul in all government documents. Even the courts have abandoned the use of Chinese-character derived legal vocabulary in favor of simpler, easier to understand Korean vocabulary.

In delaying the decision on the issue, the Education Ministry has bought time for more thorough and in-depth studies and discussions on the matter. It should stand ready to hear all sides of the argument and make an impartial decision, one that is in the best interests of the education of our children.