Pilot Operation of 'Minwon App' Scheduled
Advance Payment of Teacher Litigation Fees, Support Up to Maximum Limit
Promotion of Establishing Dispute Mediation Committee in Support Offices
Following the ‘Seoi Elementary School Teacher Death Incident,’ the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has promised to prioritize measures to resolve situations of teacher rights violations experienced by teachers at schools. The plan involves preventing complaints from being directly delivered to teachers through a teacher interview pre-reservation system and establishing waiting rooms for complainants at each school to set up response procedures.
Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, held a press briefing at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the morning of the 2nd and said, "I deeply feel responsible for the current reality where teachers must summon great courage to teach what is right and proper," adding, "We will stand up the fallen teachers again through protective measures for educational activities that teachers can actually feel."
Superintendent Cho announced plans to resolve school complaint issues by introducing a ‘teacher interview pre-reservation system.’ This system will use the ‘Seoul School Safety App,’ allowing parents to make prior reservations for school visits and phone calls, with consultations proceeding only after school approval. Additionally, each school will pilot operate a ‘complainant waiting room’ where complainants can stay while waiting for visit approval procedures. For the pilot operation, app development will take place over 3 to 4 months, incorporating field feedback.
Along with this, he announced plans to implement measures such as additional support for the ‘Teacher Work Mobile Phone Pilot Project,’ which has been conducted since 2019, to create an environment where recording is possible within schools.
To protect teachers in legal disputes related to educational activities, he said they will simplify the procedure for supporting litigation costs and promote a ‘prepayment’ method for initial attorney fees, rather than the current post-support system. They also plan to strengthen dispute mediation services through the Teacher Safety Mutual Aid and expand the scope of educational activity infringements through ordinance enactment.
At the ‘Final Report Meeting on Policy Research for Legal Dispute Case Analysis and Support Measures for Teachers’ held the previous day, Superintendent Cho expressed his willingness to "support to the maximum extent" regarding support measures such as the Teacher Safety Mutual Aid. Regarding expanding the scope of educational activity infringement acts, he stated, "It is necessary to review how far legal wording can go to prevent indiscriminate reports and lawsuits under the pretext of child abuse."
He also said that a ‘School Dispute Mediation Committee’ will be established at the Education Support Office to assist in resolving disputes between parents and teachers. In addition, to support student life guidance, guidelines such as the ‘Student Life Guidance Handbook’ will be produced and distributed. Psychological treatment linkage facilities for problematic students will be established by each support office, and specialized counseling personnel for elementary schools will be expanded.
At the legislative level, he urged the National Assembly to amend laws to explicitly grant immunity to teachers under the current ‘Child Abuse Punishment Act’ (Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes). He also demanded that the ‘Elementary and Secondary Education Act’ specify the scope of legitimate educational activities, grant school principals the authority to suspend attendance for students infringing on other students’ learning rights, and establish grounds for professional counseling and treatment support. He stated that the ‘Teacher Status Act (Special Act for the Improvement of Teacher Status)’ should be amended to allow immediate separation of students and teachers involved in educational activity infringements.
During the Q&A session after the briefing, when asked whether measures such as the complaint app can fundamentally solve the problem of teachers individually bearing complaints, Superintendent Cho replied, "What we can do now focuses on ensuring that teachers are not the primary problem solvers of complaints." Regarding the ‘plan not to disclose teachers’ personal phone numbers,’ he said, "It is included in the guidelines to be prepared by August," adding, "Once general guidelines are made, it will likely become easier."
He expressed opposition to the government and ruling party’s plan to record serious teacher rights violations in student records. Superintendent Cho said, "If the Ministry of Education requests consultation, we are willing to cooperate," but added, "However, since recording such incidents in student records in school violence cases is expected to lead to rampant lawsuits between teachers and students, we remain cautious."
Regarding the specific implementation plan for the Dispute Mediation Committee, Ham Young-gi, Director of Education Policy at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, explained, "Whether to place it in the support office and manage it there, even if it is placed in the support office, it will not be staffed only by support office employees but will comprehensively include dispute mediation experts, legal experts, etc.," adding, "We are also considering outsourcing to external organizations."
On the prepayment plan for litigation costs, he said, "From the perspective of proactive administration, we will guarantee as much as possible for teachers," but added, "Although it is still an estimate, since there may be claims for reimbursement, clear fault will be followed by recovery measures."
Regarding the joint investigation process between the Ministry of Education and the Office of Education on the Seoi Elementary School teacher death incident, Director Ham said, "The joint investigation team’s activities are in the final stages," adding, "The investigation is complete, and the report is currently being written." He continued, "The report includes administrative testimonies and opinions from fellow teachers," and said, "Judging by the speed of report preparation, the announcement will not be very delayed."
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