Gyeonggi Office of Education Implements Strengthened 'Gapjil Eradication Measures' Starting This Month

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will implement a strengthened policy to eradicate power abuse across all institutions starting this month to realize an education community free from power abuse.

The Office of Education has been working to establish a foundation for eradicating power abuse by enacting ordinances and systematizing the reporting center, as well as setting up procedures for responding to power abuse and prevention systems. However, there have been continuous criticisms that prolonged investigations cause secondary damage and that the penalties for power abuse are too lenient.

Accordingly, the Office of Education has prepared a power abuse eradication plan this year, aiming to prevent power abuse proactively by presenting effective and concrete measures based on a victim-centered approach to handling cases.

Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education

The newly prepared plan focuses on establishing a victim-centered handling system at every stage of power abuse case management, from reporting to investigation, disposition, recovery, and follow-up management.

Specifically, the measures include ▲ conducting preliminary counseling by professional counselors at the time of power abuse reporting to minimize psychological harm to victims ▲ shortening the investigation period to 30 days to prevent secondary damage ▲ upgrading penalties to warnings or higher when power abuse is confirmed to raise awareness ▲ providing psychological therapy and legal counseling support to help victims recover their daily lives ▲ strengthening pre-inspections to prevent recurrence of power abuse.

Additionally, the Office of Education will conduct biannual surveys to diagnose the causes of power abuse and introduce the "Power Abuse Thermometer" for the first time to measure the likelihood of power abuse occurrence by institution, enabling autonomous improvement of organizational culture.

If anyone suffers from or witnesses power abuse, they can report it either anonymously or with their real name through the Office of Education’s website (Electronic Civil Complaints → Reporting Center → Power Abuse and Workplace Harassment Reporting Center). The Office guarantees strict confidentiality and protection of the reporter’s identity to prevent any disadvantages.

Jung Jin-min, Auditor of the Office of Education, stated, "Power abuse causes significant harm to victims and disrupts normal educational activities at schools. We will strive to detect power abuse early and respond strictly, as well as improve remaining authoritarian mindsets to foster a culture of mutual respect."