Kwak Sang-do, a member of the People Power Party belonging to the National Assembly's Education Committee (left), is heading to the Audit Office's Civil Petition Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 12th to request a public audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection regarding allegations of unfair hiring of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union at the Busan and Incheon Offices of Education. (Photo by Yonhap News)
[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] The People Power Party has raised allegations of irregular hiring by the Korea Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo) in Busan and Incheon and demanded a public audit. This is expected to further escalate the controversy surrounding Seoul Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, who has been designated as the first case for the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).
On the morning of the 12th, Gwak Sang-do and Jeong Kyung-hee, members of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the People Power Party, visited the Board of Audit and Inspection to request a public audit regarding the irregular hiring of JeonGyoJo members by the Busan and Incheon Offices of Education.
This case is related to Superintendent Cho being designated as the first case for the CIO. Superintendent Cho is suspected of giving preferential treatment by hiring five dismissed teachers affiliated with JeonGyoJo during the special recruitment process for secondary school teachers in 2018. The Board of Audit and Inspection uncovered this and reported it to the police, who then forwarded the case to the CIO.
The People Power Party claims that similar special hiring of dismissed JeonGyoJo teachers occurred at the Busan Office of Education in 2018 and the Incheon Office of Education in 2014. They have collected signatures from 653 citizens to demand a public audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection.
In a phone interview with Asia Economy, Representative Gwak said, "The Busan Office of Education case is almost identical to the allegations against Superintendent Cho. During last year's national audit, we pointed out the illegality to Superintendent Cho and discussed with the ruling party about requesting an audit, but the ruling party said there was no need to rush. While it was being delayed, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced the results, and since the Busan case appears to be the same, we naturally thought it should be audited as well."
Meanwhile, JeonGyoJo expressed a negative view regarding Superintendent Cho being designated as the first case for the CIO. Jeong So-young, former spokesperson for JeonGyoJo, said on YTN Radio's "Hwang Bo-seon's Start of a New Morning," "It is being talked about as if the special hiring is problematic, but that is not the case. Special hiring of teachers is a power delegated to the education superintendent under Article 33 of the Education Officials Act. The superintendent is interpreted to have discretionary authority over special hiring." She added, "Bringing up past events and making them an issue now makes me wonder if this is an attempt to suppress progressive education superintendents in preparation for next year's local elections."
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