Jeonnam Office of Education Refutes "Lowest in Integrity" Reports... "Mid-Range Nationwide"

Integrity Grade Drops from 2 to 3
"Lowest Ranking Is a Distorted Interpretation"

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education has refuted recent media reports labeling it as the "lowest in integrity," stating that such claims are not true.

On October 14, the Office released a press statement explaining, "According to the comprehensive integrity assessment by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, we received a Grade 2 in 2023 and a Grade 3 in 2024, which corresponds to the national average for provincial and metropolitan education offices." The Office clarified that this places it in the mid-range among the 17 provincial and metropolitan education offices nationwide.

Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education building.

An official from the Office stated, "Since the evaluation is conducted on a relative scale, it is a distorted interpretation to conclude that we are at the bottom based solely on the grade. Even compared to other education offices in the Honam region, our results are ahead." The Office emphasized that, since Superintendent Kim Daejung took office, institutional improvements have been implemented to enhance integrity.

To begin with, a "Special Integrity Policy Team" was established, and an "Ordinance on Improving Integrity and Preventing Corruption" was enacted to provide an institutional foundation. Additionally, the Office explained that it obtained ISO 37001 certification, an international anti-bribery management system, to strengthen its internal control system.

Efforts have also been made to enhance protection for whistleblowers. An "Anonymous Corruption and Public Interest Reporting Center" based on an external server was launched, and a "Non-Identified Safe Attorney System" was introduced to protect the identity of informants. A separate "Clean Reporting Center" is also operated for school athletic teams.

Furthermore, to strengthen internal communication, the Superintendent and the Auditor hold regular "Soshin Talk" sessions (Talks for Communication and Trust) with staff, and based on the feedback collected, the "High Five Practice Guidelines" have been developed and shared.

Through the "Integrity Dashboard" system, incentives are provided according to integrity activity performance, and the "Let’s Compliment" campaign is underway to highlight positive examples of integrity. Integrity card news is also produced and distributed regularly to all staff members.

Auditor Kim Jaegi stated, "Integrity is not just a grade, but an indicator of an institution's process of structural change," adding, "Continuous improvement and the participation of all staff are essential."

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