Back in early 2008, after the visa regulations tightened for English teachers looking to teach in Korea, the Korean government started requiring both TBPE and cannabis to be tested for during the medical examination shortly after a teacher arrived in Korea. The test ultimately caused a lot of problems, with a number of teachers failing and having to leave the country, in addition to the fact that a lot of hospitals were not equipped with the devices needed for the test, which made it difficult to include all English teachers. In addition to this, there was also a lot of controversy on the part of the English-teaching community who claimed that the test should not exist due to the fact that smoking marijuana is not illegal in some countries. Shortly after this, the tests were stopped…

Fast forward to July 15th, 2010:  In response to some English teachers being caught with drugs in Korea, the Korean government has again opted to test for marijuana in the medical examination for all English teachers.  Although it seems obvious that the same problems that happended in 2008 will happen again, we will have to wait and see what the results are. 

Greg Dolezal, who is the president of the Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK), has a great point in an article in the Korea Times in response to what is seen as another knee-jerk reaction to handling problems that arise with a small number of English teachers:

“From Jan 2007 to Aug 2009, 274 English-teaching E2 visa holders were convicted of crimes. This implies a crime rate equivalent to seven-tenths of a percent,” he said. “We stand with Korean families, educators, and the law in hoping for impartial justice for all concerned in this situation. We hope, for all concerned, that a fair and thorough investigation follows. We have the utmost faith that even at a time of heightened public attention to sexual abuse cases, a judgment will be reached after an unemotional, logical review of the facts of the case.”