Court: Teacher Who Died During Self-Funded Training Trip... Recognized as Work-Related Injury

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A court ruling has determined that a teacher who died during a self-initiated overseas training funded out of pocket should be recognized as having suffered a work-related injury.

The Seoul Administrative Court, Administrative Division 7 (Chief Judge Kim Gukhyeon of Suseo Branch), ruled in favor of the family of teacher A from a middle school in Gyeonggi Province in a lawsuit against the Ministry of Personnel Management, which had denied payment of survivor benefits for duty-related death. The court stated, "The overseas voluntary training for teachers aims to enhance professional expertise, and the training during which the incident occurred aligns with official duties."

In 2019, as part of teacher training, A visited a national park in Australia and planned to observe geology under a waterfall. While swimming, A fell into the water and was rescued but died. The training was organized by a research association registered with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, and A participated after obtaining approval from the principal of the affiliated school.

The Ministry of Personnel Management argued that the training was voluntary without compulsion, and participants including A personally bore the training costs, thus it was not considered official duty, and decided not to pay survivor benefits for duty-related death. A’s family filed an administrative lawsuit in response.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.