Prosecutors Clear Kim Seokjun, Busan Superintendent of Education, of False Information Charges

Special Recruitment Allegations for Dismissed JeonGyoJo Teachers
Trial Still Ongoing

The prosecution has cleared Kim Seokjun, Superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, of all charges related to remarks he made about the special recruitment trial for dismissed Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo) teachers during this year's by-election process.

Kim Seokjun, Superintendent of Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, Yonhap News

According to legal sources on October 3, the Public and International Crimes Investigation Division of the Busan District Prosecutors' Office notified Superintendent Kim's side on October 1 that the case had been closed with no charges. Previously, a civic group had filed a complaint, alleging that Kim's comments during his election campaign press conference and a broadcast interview-where he referred to the trial as a "targeted audit and a fabricated investigation" and stated, "This is a political indictment, and there is no judicial risk"-constituted the dissemination of false information. The prosecution reached its decision to clear Kim of charges just one day before the deadline for handling public election law violation cases related to the superintendent by-election.

Superintendent Kim is currently on trial at the Busan District Court, having been indicted in December 2023 on charges including abuse of authority, in connection with the special recruitment of dismissed JeonGyoJo teachers. In July 2023, the Board of Audit and Inspection filed a complaint against Kim with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. At that time, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced that, as a result of its investigation, Superintendent Kim had instructed the relevant department to review a request from the Busan branch of JeonGyoJo in September 2018 to specially recruit four dismissed teachers involved in the Unification School project.