Government Employees' Union: "Malicious Civil Complaints Must Be Stopped to Break the Chain of Death"

Urgent Forum at the National Assembly
Calls for Fundamental Solutions to Eradicate Malicious Civil Complaints
Emphasis on Legal and Institutional Reform to Protect Public Officials

The Federation of Korean Government Employees' Unions (Chairperson Kim Hyunjin) held an urgent forum titled "Eradicating Malicious Civil Complaints Threatening the Lives of Public Officials" at 3:00 p.m. on June 16 in the main auditorium of the National Assembly Library, together with the Democratic Party's Labor Respect Practice Group. The federation called for the establishment of effective measures to eradicate malicious civil complaints.

The Federation of Korean Government Employees' Unions held an urgent forum on "Eradicating Malicious Civil Complaints Threatening the Lives of Public Officials" on the 16th at the National Assembly Library, together with the Democratic Party's Labor Respect Practice Group. Provided by the Federation of Korean Government Employees' Unions.

This forum was urgently organized to fundamentally address the reality that public officials, teachers, and police officers are repeatedly exposed to malicious civil complaints that threaten their very lives.

Even after the recent death of a teacher at Jeju Middle School, suffering at the frontline continues, and there is a growing recognition that malicious civil complaints are no longer an individual issue but a structural public risk. The event was attended by Kim Dongmyeong, Chairperson of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, Jeon Hyunhee, Head of the Democratic Party's Labor Respect Practice Group, as well as lawmakers Park Junghyun and Baek Seungah. They all emphasized the urgent need for legal and institutional reforms to eradicate malicious civil complaints.

In his opening remarks, Kim Hyunjin, Chairperson of the Federation of Korean Government Employees' Unions, stated, "The issue of malicious civil complaints is not simply a matter of emotional labor, but one that is directly linked to the right to life of public officials." He pointed out, "Although the Ministry of the Interior and Safety distributed 'Guidelines for Responding to Illegal Acts by Civil Petitioners' in May and October last year, these measures lack effectiveness, and legal responses must still be carried out directly by the victims themselves. As a result, legal protections remain only declarative."

Kim further emphasized, "We must establish effective legal and institutional frameworks to firmly sanction malicious civil complaints, build systems for psychological recovery and protection for frontline public officials, and guarantee public officials the right to work with dignity."

At the forum, Kim Jongjin, Director of the Working Citizens Research Institute, delivered a keynote presentation on "The Reality of Malicious Civil Complaints Against Public Officials and Legal and Institutional Reform Tasks." Jang Gyeongju, Policy Director of the Teachers' Union Federation, Kim Taeshin, Head of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions Public Officials Division, Kim Geonpyo, Head of Solidarity Projects at the National Police Workplace Council, as well as officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Education, participated in in-depth discussions. They shared firsthand testimonies from the field and discussed practical legal and institutional reform measures.

The Federation of Korean Government Employees' Unions plans to continue demanding effective legal and institutional reforms to firmly sanction malicious civil complaints, using this forum as a starting point. The federation also intends to strengthen systems for psychological recovery and protection for frontline public officials.