Busan Office of Education Appoints Counseling Experts to Prevent and Respond to Power Abuse

4 Labor Attorneys Provide Systematic and Professional Consultation

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 2nd that starting this year, it will appoint four labor attorneys as ‘Gapjil Report Counseling Experts’ to establish an efficient and systematic prevention and response system for Gapjil.

This appointment of counseling experts aims to enhance the expertise in handling the increasing number of Gapjil complaints and to ensure fairness in the decisions made by the ‘Gapjil Case Audit and Disciplinary Review Committee.’

Until this measure, one staff member was solely responsible for counseling Gapjil complaints, and the recent increase in phone consultations caused a workload burden. Additionally, the ‘Audit and Disciplinary Review Committee’ had difficulty ensuring fairness in decisions because it judged Gapjil and general cases collectively without distinction.

In response, the Busan Office of Education first designated three public officials within the Audit Office as ‘Gapjil Counseling Coordinators’ who have initial contact with complainants. They analyze the reporter’s situation and complaint details and match them with ‘Gapjil Report Counseling Specialists.’

The matched ‘Gapjil Report Counseling Experts’ provide counseling and consulting on the grievances of Gapjil reporters. Afterwards, these experts will attend the ‘Gapjil Case Audit and Disciplinary Review Committee’ to offer opinions on appropriate disciplinary levels and help ensure fairness in decisions.

The Busan Office of Education expects this measure to greatly contribute to professional and systematic Gapjil counseling and to strengthening the expertise of the Gapjil-related Audit and Disciplinary Review Committee.

Kim Dong-hyun, Auditor of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, said, “Operating Gapjil Report Counseling Experts will play a significant role in raising awareness through redefining the concept of Gapjil,” and added, “We will take the lead in creating a democratic organizational culture free from Gapjil.”