'Gongsu Office Investigation No.1' Jo Hee-yeon "Will Prove No Charges" (Summary)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 10th, Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, denied the allegations of improperly giving special employment to dismissed teachers affiliated with the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (Jeon-gyo-jo), which was revealed by the Board of Audit and Inspection’s investigation, and stated that he will actively clarify the matter as he became the first investigation target of the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Unit (Hogeum Gongjikja Beomjoe Susa Cheo, Gongso-cheo).

On the same day, Gongso-cheo assigned the case number '2021 Gongje 1-ho' to the special employment suspicion involving Superintendent Cho and began the investigation. Superintendent Cho issued an official statement saying, "I believe Gongso-cheo will make a balanced judgment, and I will actively clarify the institutional characteristics of the special employment and the absence of charges." This stance is consistent with his previous position, where he refuted the allegations by asserting that "the individuals hired were those who scored highly in realizing public values, and the employment was lawful," maintaining his innocence.

At a recent press conference, Superintendent Cho expressed regret, saying, "I regret that the Board of Audit and Inspection made this decision without giving the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education an opportunity to explain during the audit committee process," and added, "I will promptly request a reconsideration to correct the erroneous facts and prove my innocence to the investigative authorities."

According to the audit results announced by the Board of Audit and Inspection last month, Superintendent Cho specifically identified five dismissed teachers in July-August 2018 and instructed the relevant departments to review and promote their special employment. Among them, one person had run as a preliminary candidate in the June 2018 superintendent election and later unified candidacy with Superintendent Cho and assisted in election campaigning. According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, when the person in charge, the heads of the relevant bureau and division, and the deputy superintendent opposed the special employment citing unfairness and concerns over preferential treatment, Superintendent Cho unilaterally approved the special employment documents without the review and approval of the working-level staff and forcibly proceeded with the hiring.

The Board of Audit and Inspection reported Superintendent Cho to the police and provided reference materials for investigation to Gongso-cheo. The police transferred the case to Gongso-cheo upon its request. The Gongso-cheo Act stipulates that when the head of Gongso-cheo requests transfer of investigations overlapping with Gongso-cheo’s investigations, the relevant agency must comply, and the superintendent is included among high-ranking officials subject to Gongso-cheo’s investigation. Upon learning that Superintendent Cho became the first investigation target of Gongso-cheo, education office officials held an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.

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