Prosecutors Assign Chief Criminal Division to 'Jo Hee-yeon Unfair Special Recruitment Allegation' Case

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has assigned the case of Seoul Mayor of Education Cho Hee-yeon’s unfair hiring of dismissed teachers, for which the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Gong-su-cheo) requested prosecution, to the Criminal Senior Division.

On the 3rd, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Considering the importance of the matter, the case related to the Seoul Mayor of Education received from Gong-su-cheo today has been assigned to the Criminal First Division, the senior criminal division headed by Lee Seon-hyeok, for investigation."

Mayor Cho is suspected of improperly intervening in the special hiring of dismissed teachers in 2018. Through this special hiring, teachers affiliated with the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (Jeon-gyo-jo), who were convicted by the Supreme Court and retired, were reinstated.

Earlier that morning, Gong-su-cheo announced the results of a four-month investigation into the allegations of unfair special hiring of dismissed teachers involving Mayor Cho and one other person, and referred the case to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office with a prosecution opinion applying charges of abuse of authority and violation of the National Public Service Act against Mayor Cho.

On the same day, Gong-su-cheo also referred Han Mo, former Secretary General of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (currently Policy Safety Planning Officer), who is suspected of handling the special hiring process, to the Central District Prosecutors' Office with a prosecution opinion applying charges of abuse of authority.

Based on Gong-su-cheo’s investigation results, the prosecution is expected to request supplementary investigations from Gong-su-cheo or initiate a reinvestigation.

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