Gwangju Office of Education Shows Low Utilization of "Active Administration Immunity System"

Only Two Immunity Applications in Five Years; Pre-consultation Requests Also Plummet
"Public Sector Still Intimidated... System Effectiveness Must Be Improved"

The "Active Administration Immunity System" and the "Pre-consultation Audit System," introduced by the Gwangju Office of Education to prevent passive administration in the public sector, have been found to be ineffective.

According to data released on April 28 by the civic group "Citizens' Coalition for a Society Without Academic Cliques," the Gwangju Office of Education has been operating these systems since 2020 to encourage active administration. However, their actual use has been minimal.

Gwangju Office of Education building.

The Active Administration Immunity System exempts public officials from responsibility for procedural issues or losses that occur in the course of work for the public good, provided there is no intent or gross negligence. However, from 2020 to this year, there have been only two applications for immunity. Both cases involved changing the status from institutional warning to no action at the Gwangju Student Education and Culture Center and the Eastern Education Support Office in 2021.

The situation is similar for the Pre-consultation Audit System, which allows officials to receive immunity through prior consultation during the course of their duties. The number of cases reviewed dropped from 15 in its first year, 2020, to just one last year, and there have been no cases submitted so far this year.

The Citizens' Coalition for a Society Without Academic Cliques pointed out, "Contrary to the intention of encouraging active administration, the public sector remains intimidated," and stressed the need to strengthen education and publicity, as well as to improve the system by allowing auditors to apply for immunity ex officio or expanding the scope of application, as is done in other regions.