Celebrities and Public Officials Alike... 'Hakpok' Emerging as a Verification Gateway

A Social Atmosphere That Does Not Tolerate School Violence
Based on Verification Standards for Public Officials' Morality and Qualifications

The political landscape is in turmoil following the controversy surrounding lawyer Jeong Soon-shin, who was appointed and then resigned as the head of the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters due to allegations of school violence (hakpok) involving her child. This incident clearly demonstrated how sensitive and delicate the issue of school violence is in our society.

School violence issues have already sparked major controversies in the entertainment and sports industries for several years. It has become another standard for verifying qualifications and morality in public positions.

Although Lawyer Jeong resigned just one day after her appointment as head of the National Investigation Headquarters, public criticism over the school violence allegations involving her child has not subsided. Jeong’s son, Jeong, who entered a self-governing private high school in Gangwon Province in 2017, reportedly subjected a classmate to continuous verbal abuse, including calling them "dwaeji XX" (pig XX), which led to a transfer disciplinary action.

Subsequently, Jeong’s side filed a lawsuit to cancel the disciplinary action and engaged in a legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court, ultimately losing the case. The victim was unable to lead a normal school life and is reported to have even attempted extreme measures. Meanwhile, Jeong’s son was admitted to Seoul National University through regular admissions in 2020.

While the fact that a high-ranking public official’s child was involved in school violence is shocking, criticism is mounting over the failure of the government and related agencies’ personnel screening systems. During the appointment process of Lawyer Jeong as head of the National Investigation Headquarters, two rounds of personnel screening were conducted by the Ministry of Justice’s Personnel Information Management Division and the Yongsan Presidential Office’s Public Service Discipline Secretariat, but the school violence issue was not detected. The Presidential Office stated that it was difficult to verify because the issue was related to the child, not Lawyer Jeong personally.

Attorney Jeong Soon-shin. / Yonhap News

School violence has recently become one of the hottest social issues. The Netflix drama "The Glory," which deals with the pain of school violence victims, has been a huge hit, making the issue even more sensitive to the public.

In particular, the entertainment industry has faced school violence controversies for several years. Celebrities involved in such controversies have suffered severe damage to their image, often leading to temporary suspension of activities or withdrawal from their groups.

The sports world has not escaped school violence controversies either. In 2021, volleyball players Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young, sisters who belonged to Heungkuk Life, were accused of committing school violence during their school days. Facing strong public criticism, both eventually left the Korean professional volleyball scene.

This recent incident involving Lawyer Jeong shows that the social atmosphere rejecting school violence has become even stricter. It is analyzed that school violence has become a criterion for judging and verifying the qualifications and morality of not only entertainers but also public officials.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Office acknowledged shortcomings in the appointment process of Lawyer Jeong. Lee Do-woon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, said, "Since the issue was related to the child rather than the public office candidate himself, there were shortcomings," and bowed his head, adding, "There are many regrets about the failure to detect the problem during the screening process."