Baek Hyunjin "Students killed at school still receive 1 million won monthly... Must be stopped by law"

Bill Proposed to Revoke Pensions of Public Officials Convicted of Serious Crimes
Key Point: No Pension Payments for Sentences Exceeding Three Years
Baek Hyunjin: "This Situation Is Unfair Even from the Public's Perspective"

Baek Hyun-jin, a member of the People Power Party, proposed a bill to revoke the pensions of public officials who commit serious crimes, prompted by the murder of an elementary school student in Daejeon. On the morning of the 26th, Baek held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office and explained, "In the case of teacher A, who brutally murdered a student, even if he receives the highest level of dismissal due to murder, under current law, he can only have his pension reduced by up to 50% and still receive a monthly pension of 1 million won for life. This situation is extremely unfair from the public’s perspective."

Assemblywoman Baek Hyun-jin. Assemblywoman Baek Hyun-jin Facebook

The 'Haneul Incident' mentioned by Baek refers to a recent case where a teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon killed a student. Current law stipulates that pensions are not paid only in cases of specific crimes such as rebellion, foreign invasion, or insurrection. Even if a public official commits heinous crimes such as murder or rape, they are guaranteed to receive up to 50% of their pension for life. In contrast, the amendment proposed by Baek on this day aims to return only the contributions paid along with some interest to public officials sentenced to more than three years in prison for serious crimes such as injury resulting in death, robbery, or rape, and to deny them pension benefits. Additionally, the bill includes provisions to revoke the spouse’s succession rights to the pension.

Regarding the background of the bill, Baek said, "This amendment is a measure to correct the unfairness of paying pensions with taxpayers’ money when public officials, who should serve the people, commit serious crimes while in office." He added, "This aligns with the common sense of the public and is a measure to restore social trust and prevent the recurrence of heinous crimes."

He continued, "The Sentencing Commission of our courts recommends a minimum prison sentence of three years for murder, even considering reasons such as diminished mental capacity." He emphasized, "Considering this, setting the standard at a prison sentence of more than three years reflects the seriousness of serious crimes while maintaining legal fairness." After the press conference, Baek told reporters, "I think this is a measure that paradoxically protects public officials and teachers more than being viewed as potential criminals by the public," and added, "I will also take the lead in protecting teachers’ rights."

Meanwhile, regarding the final arguments in President Yoon Seok-yeol’s impeachment trial on the 25th, Baek said, "I deeply felt a human sympathy for how lonely the President must have felt under the pressure pushed by the Democratic Party of Korea with their majority in the National Assembly." He added, "As all citizens hope, I expect the Constitutional Court to judge fairly and according to the law." When asked whether the timing of former leader Han Dong-hoon’s appearance related to the newly published book People First - Han Dong-hoon’s Choice was too early, Baek replied, "Each politician is responsible for their own timing and does not judge based on timing," and added, "It’s hard to get the book, but I plan to read it as well."