Corruption in Principal Recruitment System... Former Aide to Incheon Superintendent Sentenced, Candidate Detained in Court

Applicant Created Interview Test Questions... 4 Accomplices Given Suspended Sentences

Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Former aide to Incheon Superintendent of Education Doseonghun and an elementary school teacher in Incheon, who were prosecuted for corruption related to the 'Principal Recruitment System' interview exam, were sentenced to prison in the first trial.

Judge Park Shinyoung of the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 14 sentenced A (52), a former principal of an elementary school in Incheon and former aide to the superintendent, who was detained and indicted on charges including obstruction of official duties and violation of the State Public Officials Act, to 1 year and 6 months in prison at the sentencing hearing held on the 3rd.

Additionally, B (52), an elementary school teacher who applied for the principal recruitment system and was indicted without detention on charges including obstruction of official duties by deception, was sentenced to 1 year in prison and was taken into custody in court.

Four accomplices, including education office executives and elementary school teachers who faced the same charges, were each sentenced to 6 months to 1 year in prison with a 2-year probation.

A, who served as a policy aide to Superintendent Doseonghun, was detained and indicted last December on charges of participating as a question setter in the internal elementary school principal recruitment system conducted by the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education and using pre-received questions as interview exam problems.

At that time, he served as a question setter in his capacity as a current elementary school principal, and police investigations revealed that he set questions desired by B during the second interview exam.

B was selected as the top candidate in the principal recruitment evaluation but was ultimately notified of failure.

A was additionally indicted for obstructing the education office’s work in the same manner by creating sample answers when he became principal of an elementary school in Incheon through the principal recruitment system last year.

Earlier, the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education’s Audit Office received a public interest report related to the principal recruitment system earlier this year, conducted an investigation, and requested police to investigate A and others.

Judge Park stated, "A played a key role as a question setter in the principal selection process and actively participated in the crime, making the offense serious," adding, "Such incidents occurring in the education field raise high possibilities of public criticism."

However, the judgment considered that some defendants including A had no prior criminal records and there was no evidence of economic gain.