"Sorry for Disappointment Over Inspector General Hiring"...Superintendent Jeongseon Lee Issues Public Apology

Former Personnel Chief Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison
"Fairness Undermined, Deeply Distressed... Fully Acknowledge Responsibility"
Teachers' Union: "Superintendent Must Take Responsibility by Resigning"

Amid allegations of involvement in the hiring of a high school classmate, which led to a prison sentence for the former head of the personnel team, Jeongseon Lee, Superintendent of Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, issued a public apology to citizens and the education community, stating that he "fully acknowledges his responsibility."

Jeongseon Lee, Superintendent of Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, is presenting achievements and future plans at the press conference marking the 3rd anniversary of his inauguration held on the morning of June 26 in the main conference room of the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education.

On August 12, Superintendent Lee released an official statement, saying, "I sincerely apologize to the citizens and the education community for causing great disappointment and concern due to the outcome of the trial regarding the hiring of the inspector general." He added, "It pains me that the principles of fairness and transparency were compromised in the hiring process for the inspector general-a position where these values should be paramount-thereby shaking public trust in educational administration."

Superintendent Lee stated, "As the person responsible for education in Gwangju, I respect the judiciary's decision and feel a heavy sense of responsibility." He continued, "To prevent such incidents from recurring, we are pursuing institutional reforms, including appointing only external members as interviewers."

Earlier that morning, the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 5 (Presiding Judge Hye-seon Ji) sentenced Mr. A, the former head of the personnel team at the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, to one year and six months in prison on charges including falsification of official documents. Following the prison sentence, Mr. A's third request for bail was also denied. The court stated, "There is evidence that the defendant persuaded subordinates to make false statements, and considering the public nature of the inspector general hiring at the Office of Education, the responsibility is grave."

Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education.

Mr. A was indicted on charges of instructing evaluation committee members to alter scores in August 2022, during the hiring process for the open position of inspector general at the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, to ensure the selection of Superintendent Lee's high school classmate. At the time, Superintendent Lee was also investigated by prosecutors and his office was searched and seized. Although he filed a quasi-appeal claiming the investigation procedures were unlawful, the court dismissed it. He is currently appealing to the Supreme Court.

In response, the Gwangju Teachers' Union issued a statement the same day, saying, "It is shameless for the superintendent to claim he is not involved when it has been acknowledged that scores were manipulated to hire his acquaintance and a subordinate has been sentenced to prison." The union continued, "The superintendent should not shift responsibility to his subordinate but should take responsibility by resigning from his position."

The Teachers' Union also stated, "We understand that the police and prosecutors are investigating corruption and influence-peddling crimes involving unofficial power brokers within the Office of Education." The union demanded, "The superintendent must immediately withdraw appointments of individuals who could be subject to criminal punishment and announce a new personnel plan before September 1."

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