24 Seoul District Mayors from Seoul City District Mayors Association Express 'Concerns' over Investigation of Seoul Education Superintendent by Corruption Investigation Office

Attention to the appointment of the case involving Cho Hee-yeon, Seoul Superintendent of Education, as the first investigation target by the Corruption Investigation Office, expressing concern that it is an act "going against the current trend emphasizing autonomy and decentralization"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The 24 district mayors belonging to the Seoul Metropolitan City District Mayors' Council (Chairman: Dobong District Mayor Dong-jin Lee) expressed concerns regarding the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (HCIA) investigating Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Hee-yeon Cho’s alleged special recruitment of secondary education public officials as the ‘Case No. 1’.

On the 14th, the 24 Seoul district mayors issued a press release highlighting that the HCIA’s selection of Superintendent Hee-yeon Cho’s case as the first investigation target is a move that ‘runs counter to the current trend emphasizing autonomy and decentralization.’

They further emphasized that the special recruitment by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education was a measure taken as part of proactive administration in line with changing times, undertaken by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, which is responsible for frontline local education administration. They stressed that it is an administrative act under proper procedures initiated by the public demand of the Seoul Metropolitan Council and is a unique task delegated to the local government by the superintendent.

They also expressed concern that this investigation contradicts the government’s policy direction to expand immunity for proactive administration by public officials and feared it might dampen efforts for proactive administration at the frontline of local administration.

Moreover, the district mayors collectively stressed that the current HCIA investigation into the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent should not become the starting point of a vicious cycle that leads to the ‘judicialization of autonomous administration,’ thereby undermining the foundation of educational autonomy and local autonomy.

They added that if criminal accusations and subsequent investigations are repeatedly conducted even on administrative acts within the discretionary authority of local governments, the damage will ultimately fall on the citizens. They urged the HCIA to handle this matter solely based on the law and with fairness and integrity.

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Position of the Seoul District Mayors on the HCIA Investigation of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent

Recently, the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (HCIA) initiated an investigation into Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Hee-yeon Cho regarding the special recruitment of secondary education public officials.

In response, the 24 Seoul district mayors affiliated with the Democratic Party noted the HCIA’s choice of this case as the first investigation target and expressed concern that this move may run counter to the current era’s emphasis on autonomy and decentralization, especially as the National Assembly passed a full revision of the Local Autonomy Act for the first time in 32 years at the end of last year, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of the revival of local autonomy, with local governments and councils preparing for the Local Autonomy 2.0 era.

While past local autonomy operated under a centralized and vertical administrative system with a division of labor handling some delegated tasks, recent local autonomy strives to actively reflect citizens’ demands in response to changing times through creative and integrative administration.

From the perspective of those responsible for frontline local autonomy, the special recruitment by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is seen as a measure taken as part of proactive administration in line with changing times by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the main agent of educational autonomy. It is particularly important to note that this special recruitment originated from the public demand of the Seoul Metropolitan Council and that the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Council, as partners in educational autonomy, shared policy judgments and executed the plan.

This special recruitment is a unique task delegated to the superintendent as part of local government authority, and it is understood that the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education carried it out through proper procedures in consultation with the Metropolitan Council.

Nevertheless, it is difficult for us to understand why the HCIA, originally established to investigate power-related corruption and crimes, has chosen this matter as its first investigation target.

Furthermore, the HCIA’s investigation into Superintendent Cho contradicts the recent government trend to expand immunity for proactive administration by public officials, as reflected in the revision of the ‘Proactive Administration Operation Regulations’ (August 2020). We have serious concerns that this may dampen the efforts of frontline local government officials who strive to improve institutional shortcomings and respond to diverse social demands through proactive administration.

We hope the HCIA will judge this special recruitment case not only from a micro perspective of procedural flaws but also from a macro perspective of what constitutes a balanced relationship between administrative and judicial powers. There have been critical issues raised about the ‘judicialization of politics’ in our society, criticizing the excessive politicization of matters that should be resolved politically by turning them into criminal issues due to partisan conflicts. We, the district mayors, hope this case will not become a precedent for the ‘judicialization of autonomous administration’ becoming normalized. If criminal accusations and investigations are repeatedly conducted even on discretionary administrative acts, the damage will ultimately be borne by the citizens.

We understand that the special recruitment of education public officials has long been recognized as within the superintendent’s discretionary authority. Also, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is understood to have conducted sufficient prior reviews on legality before this special recruitment. Nevertheless, the Board of Audit and Inspection regarded even discretionary administrative acts as subject to judicial punishment and proceeded with criminal accusations. If such cases continue, it will undermine the legitimate boundaries between administrative and judicial powers in our society, and many administrative acts will become targets of political disputes and judicial lawsuits, leading to a vicious cycle.

Therefore, we express deep regret toward the Board of Audit and Inspection for forcing unreasonable audits and accusations against the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and toward the HCIA for designating the investigation of Superintendent Hee-yeon Cho as Case No. 1, contrary to the public’s wish for the HCIA to faithfully perform its original mission of investigating power-related corruption and crimes of high-ranking officials. We hope this investigation will not become a wrong choice that damages the foundation of local autonomy. We also urge the HCIA to dispel public suspicion that it might prosecute forcibly due to the symbolic nature of Case No. 1 and to reexamine and handle this matter fairly and justly based solely on the law from the beginning.

June 14, 2021

Jongno District Mayor Young-jong Kim, Jung District Mayor Yang-ho Seo, Yongsan District Mayor Seong-hyun Sung, Seongdong District Mayor Won-oh Jeong, Gwangjin District Mayor Sun-gap Kim, Dongdaemun District Mayor Deok-yeol Yoo

Jungnang District Mayor Gyeong-gi Ryu, Seongbuk District Mayor Seung-ro Lee, Gangbuk District Mayor Gyeom-su Park, Dobong District Mayor Dong-jin Lee, Nowon District Mayor Seung-rok Oh, Eunpyeong District Mayor Mi-kyung Kim

Seodaemun District Mayor Seok-jin Moon, Mapo District Mayor Dong-gyun Yoo, Yangcheon District Mayor Soo-young Kim, Gangseo District Mayor Hyun-song Noh, Guro District Mayor Seong Lee, Geumcheon District Mayor Sung-hoon Yoo

Yeongdeungpo District Mayor Hyun-il Chae, Dongjak District Mayor Chang-woo Lee, Gwanak District Mayor Jun-hee Park, Gangnam District Mayor Soon-gyun Jeong, Songpa District Mayor Sung-soo Park, Gangdong District Mayor Jung-hoon Lee

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