"Notice of Principal's Daughter's Wedding Reception"…High School Sent Texts to Parents Asking for Congratulatory Money

Parents Protest "Violation of Civil Servant Code of Conduct"

An employee at a high school located in Jeju City sent a group text message to parents informing them about the principal's child's wedding, prompting the education authorities to launch an investigation.

According to KBS on the 11th, in August, an employee at a high school in Jeju sent a message containing details of the principal's child's wedding reception to some parents.

The message included the phrase, "This is to inform you that the principal's daughter has a wedding reception," along with the date and location, and detailed information such as "The school will attend at 6 PM, and the ceremony is on O month O day."

Photo by KBS News Screen Capture

Parents immediately protested, citing a "violation of the public officials' code of conduct."

According to Article 25 of the Jeju Provincial Office of Education's Public Officials' Code of Conduct, congratulatory or condolence notices are restricted to employees currently or previously affiliated with the institution, members of religious or social groups to which the official belongs, and the like. In particular, parents are classified as persons related to the principal's official duties, and notifications or acceptance of congratulatory or condolence gifts are strictly limited.

Some parents claimed they sent congratulatory money to the principal out of concern that their children might face disadvantages.

The school explained that the principal did not instruct the sending of the message, and that Mr. A simply forwarded it to five parent committee members because the committee members had requested to be informed of school-related news.

However, it was reported that more parents than the stated five received the message, contrary to the school's claim, leading the education office to investigate. The Jeju Provincial Office of Education pointed out, "Since the committee members are also parents, the fact that the school sent a wedding notification message itself is problematic."

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