The Ministry of Education officially withdrew its previous stance that teachers would be disciplined for taking annual or sick leave to participate in nationwide protests on Monday.

Education minister Lee Ju-ho revealed the decision on Tuesday in a meeting with the chiefs of the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association and the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Union at the Seoul Government Complex.

Lee added that the ministry will ensure that teachers who participated in the memorial event will not be disadvantaged in terms of their status.

About 120-thousand people joined ceremonies and rallies across the nation on Monday to memorialize a young teacher who died in an apparent suicide in July and other subsequent teacher deaths while calling for measures to better protect their rights.