Jang Seok-woong, Jeonnam Superintendent of Education, Says "School Principals Should Be Excluded from the Serious Accident Punishment Act"

Jang Seok-woong, Superintendent of Education for Jeonnam, stated at the expanded executive meeting on the 18th that school principals should be excluded from punishment under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. Photo by Jeonnam Office of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Jang Seok-woong, Superintendent of Education for Jeonnam, demanded that school principals be excluded from punishment targets after the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (Serious Accidents Act) was passed, which includes school principals as subjects of punishment.

On the 18th, Superintendent Jang stated at an expanded executive meeting, “If this law is applied from next year, responsibility could be imposed on school principals not only for school facilities but also for accidents during educational activities,” and added, “It is appropriate for the superintendent to take responsibility as the person accountable for serious industrial accidents, but it is not right for frontline school principals, who have no budget authority, to bear full responsibility.”

He continued, “The life and safety of workers are invaluable and cannot be exchanged for anything else, so the passage of this law is welcome; however, the fact that schools are also subject to it and that school principals could be punished cannot be overlooked with concern.”

Furthermore, he said, “Schools are not profit-seeking companies or workplaces, and there are already regulations punishing violations under laws such as the ‘Educational Facilities Safety Act’ and the ‘Industrial Safety and Health Act,’ so applying this law to school principals poses the problem of double punishment,” and expressed concern that “educational activities at schools could be restricted, and if accidents occur, lawsuits could ensue, ultimately harming students.”.

Superintendent Jang expressed his view, saying, “As a member of the chairpersons of the Council of Superintendents of Education, I will carry out necessary activities such as visiting the Ministry of Education and related departments involved in the enactment of the enforcement ordinance to ensure proper legislation.”

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