Prosecutors Conduct First Summons Interrogation of Cho Hee-yeon Over 'Special Recruitment of Dismissed Teachers' Allegations... Decision on Indictment Within the Year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution recently summoned and investigated Cho Hee-yeon, the Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, who is suspected of 'special recruitment of dismissed teachers.'

According to the legal community on the 22nd, the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Seon-hyeok) summoned Superintendent Cho as a suspect on the 3rd of this month to comprehensively verify the circumstances surrounding the special recruitment of dismissed teachers and related suspicions.

This is the first summons investigation since the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (Hogeumgong) requested the prosecution to indict Superintendent Cho on September 3rd after going through the prosecution review committee and transferred the case.

The Hogeumgong transferred the case to the prosecution, requesting indictment of Superintendent Cho on charges of abuse of authority and violation of the State Public Officials Act, and his former chief secretary Han Mo as an accomplice in abuse of authority.

The prosecution reviewed the records received from the Hogeumgong and conducted supplementary investigations, including summoning Mr. Han on the 22nd and 26th of last month.

Superintendent Cho and Mr. Han are suspected of improperly arranging the special recruitment of five dismissed teachers, including those from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (Jeon-gyo-jo), in 2018.

The prosecution is expected to decide whether to indict the two within this month.

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