Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Strengthens Punishments for Teachers' Sexual Misconduct Including Distribution of Obscene Materials

Establishment of 'Sexual Misconduct' Handling Standards for Law-Violating Public Officials
Severe Disciplinary Actions Also to Be Taken for Distribution of Obscene Materials via Information and Communication Networks

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has refined the disciplinary standards for sexual misconduct and decided to impose severe penalties on teachers who commit crimes such as distributing obscene materials.

On the 30th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it has revised the "Standards for Handling Public Officials Violating Laws" and will implement the changes starting next month on the 1st.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education established new standards for handling "other sexual misconduct" to allow for severe disciplinary action if there is sexual behavior such as distributing obscene materials using information and communication networks. Even crimes not specified in the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, the Framework Act on Gender Equality, or the Act on the Punishment of Procuring Prostitution, which are the current standards for sexual misconduct, can now be subject to severe disciplinary measures.

The revision process was initiated following an incident last year where a teacher who was fined for violating the Information and Communications Network Act by distributing obscene materials on a specific website received only a minor disciplinary action of reprimand.

To establish strict measures against the distribution of obscene materials via information and communication networks, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education formed a task force team for the standards on handling public officials violating laws, analyzed disciplinary statuses from other education offices, and prepared alternatives.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education added seven content modules, including sexual misconduct, drunk driving misconduct, and bribery misconduct, to the case-based training content in June.

Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon stated, "We will firmly respond to corruption and emphasize a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual crimes," adding, "With the revision of the standards for handling public officials violating laws, we expect that various corrupt practices, including sexual misconduct within the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, will be eradicated, greatly contributing to the establishment of public service discipline."

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