Prosecutors Indict Gwangju Office of Education Official for Coercion in Auditor Recruitment

Circumstances Confirmed of Requesting Evaluation Committee to Alter Scores

Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office. Photo by Song Bohyun

The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Division (headed by Chief Prosecutor Jo Jeongho) announced on the 11th that it had indicted Mr. A, an official of the Gwangju Office of Education, on charges including obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means. The prosecution indicted Mr. A on this day as the detention period was about to expire.

Mr. A is accused of exerting undue influence during the hiring process for an auditor in August 2022, when he was the head of the personnel team at the city Office of Education. The Board of Audit and Inspection reported to the police after confirming that Mr. A requested evaluation committee members to alter scores during the process in which Lee Jeongseon, a high school classmate of the Gwangju Superintendent of Education, was hired as auditor.

According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, Mr. A was found to have asked evaluation committee members to "preferably not select someone too young as auditor" and requested score modifications.

Although Mr. A's arrest warrant was dismissed during the police investigation stage, he was detained during the prosecution's investigation after additional reports from educational organizations and evidence of destruction of evidence was found.

In this regard, local teachers and civic education organizations in Gwangju are urging the superintendent to apologize and calling for a thorough investigation by the prosecution. Attention is now focused on whether the prosecution will investigate higher-ranking officials.