Support for Physical and Psychological Harm to All Staff Starting Next Year
Enhanced Coverage for Medical Expenses, Psychological Counseling, and Legal Assistance
The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education will significantly expand protective measures to prevent and help recover from physical and psychological harm suffered by education support staff during the course of their work. The plan is to broaden the scope of support to include all education support staff, thereby creating a more stable working environment.
The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Kim Seokjun) announced on December 31 that, starting in 2026, it will significantly strengthen protective measures and support for various types of harm that may occur during the performance of duties by education support staff.
Until now, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education has provided psychological and legal counseling on a limited basis, mainly to those handling civil complaints. However, beginning next year, the office will secure its own budget and expand the support to all education support staff.
As a result, starting from 2026, education support staff will be eligible for benefits including: ▲ coverage of medical expenses for minor injuries requiring up to three days of treatment, ▲ compensation for property damage resulting from violations of educational activities (limited to special education assistants), ▲ psychological counseling for mental health recovery, and ▲ subscription to liability insurance to support legal responses such as lawsuits.
Until now, education support staff have faced limitations in receiving systematic protection and support for job-related stress and harm from infringements on educational activities. However, with this policy improvement, the office expects that psychological stability and the protection of rights and interests will be substantially enhanced.
The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education plans to use this expansion of protective measures as an opportunity to continuously strengthen the institutional foundation, ensuring that education support staff can work in a safer environment and reliably support educational activities at schools.
Superintendent Kim Seokjun stated, "Education support staff are important members of the educational field," adding, "Through this expansion of protective measures, we will continue to promote policies that improve working conditions and protect the rights and interests of education support staff, so they can work with a sense of belonging and pride in a stable environment."
Busan Metropolitan Office of Education.
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