This study reviews the roles of Korean Federations of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) by categorizing and
analyzing their educational policy proposals from 1992 to 2003. New typology was created to categorize their
proposals with four categories; industrial, professional, students' learning and development, and school
education intensification oriented issues, which came from the classification of general roles of teacher
organizations in education. Categorized educational policy proposals were interpreted on the educational
bases.
It was found that the KFTA has paid more attention to educational policy for teachers and played
institutional actor in educational field over time. Most of their educational policy proposals have been related
to industrial oriented issues in education. Second, the legalization of teacher union in Korea changed the
KFTA's roles in education. In other words, the KFTA has started to pay more attention to professional,
students' learning and developmental, and school education intensification roles since teacher unions were
legalized. Third, there have been the differences between the roles of metropolitan Teachers' Associations
including KFTA and those of provincial Teachers' Associations. Whereas metropolitan Teachers' Associations
have paid more attention to industrial role, provincial Teachers' Associations have focused more on school
education intensification role over time.
With the analysis of categorized educational policy proposals presented by the KFTA, the study anticipates
the future roles of the KFTA in education. The KFTA will continue to play a role as an institutional actor in
education. The KFTA, however, will start to pay more attention to the rest roles except an institutional actor
in order to compete with the Korean Teachers' Union. The entrance of legal teacher unions asks the KFTA to
present appropriate proposals in order to adopt changing external situations in education