Kwanghee Choi of Chungnam Provincial Council Proposes Ordinance Amendment to Protect Civil Petition Officers

Aiming to Establish a Practical Protection System for Civil Petition Officers

Assemblyman Kwanghee Choi of Chungnam Provincial Council Takes Steps to Strengthen Protection Measures for Civil Petition Officers. / Provided by Chungnam Provincial Council

Kwanghee Choi, an independent member of the Chungnam Provincial Council representing Boryeong 1, has initiated an amendment to the ordinance to strengthen responses to illegal acts such as verbal abuse, assault, and sexual harassment by certain malicious civil petitioners, and to establish a practical protection system for civil petition officers.

The "Partial Amendment Ordinance on the Protection and Support of Civil Petition Officers in Chungcheongnam-do," proposed by Assemblyman Choi, passed the Administrative and Cultural Committee review of the 359th regular session, held on June 17, in its original form.

The amended ordinance includes a variety of support measures to protect civil petition officers and to enable effective responses in the event of illegal acts.

In particular, it establishes the legal basis for introducing "portable protection devices" that can be attached to the officer's body or uniform, and specifies the establishment of a legal support system, operation of a dedicated department, and measures such as work adjustment for victims.

According to a survey on malicious civil petitions conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, 48% of cases involved habitual or repeated harassment of civil petition officers, and 40% escalated to actual assault or threats. There have also been cases of excessive civil petitions, such as sending more than 300 text messages to an officer's personal phone over the course of a year.

Assemblyman Choi stated, "This ordinance amendment aims to provide practical protection measures," adding, "In particular, it is significant in that it systematically addresses areas that have previously been insufficiently handled, such as providing rest time for affected employees, operating counseling windows, considering preferred job placements, and installing blocking facilities to protect the physical and mental well-being of staff."

He further emphasized, "It is very regrettable that civil petition officers, who are at the forefront of administration and interact directly with provincial residents, are suffering from malicious civil petitions," and added, "I will continue to work to foster a culture of respect for civil petitions and to ensure that public officials can work in a safe environment."

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