Ji Hye-bok, a teacher dismissed after raising concerns about sexual harassment at her school, holds an envelope containing negotiation demands at a press conference outside the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, calling on the office to accept eight key demands. The event was organized by a joint committee formed to oppose the unfair transfer of a whistleblowing teacher and address sexual violence at the school. [Yonhap]
Ji Hye-bok, a teacher dismissed after raising concerns about sexual harassment at her school, holds an envelope containing negotiation demands at a press conference outside the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, calling on the office to accept eight key demands. The event was organized by a joint committee formed to oppose the unfair transfer of a whistleblowing teacher and address sexual violence at the school. [Yonhap]

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Friday it will accept a court's first-instance ruling that voided teacher Ji Hye-bok's dismissal, forgo an appeal and move swiftly to reinstate her.

In response to the ruling on Ji's lawsuit seeking confirmation that her dismissal was invalid, the office said Friday it would "humbly accept the court's decision" and ask the Ministry of Justice to approve dropping the appeal.

The office said it had been pursuing legal and administrative steps toward Ji's return to the classroom, including asking the court to recommend mediation and accepting the court's proposed settlement terms.

Following the first-instance ruling, the office said it plans to process reinstatement procedures as quickly as possible to ensure Ji can return to work without disruption. It will also consult with Ji's legal representatives on the necessary administrative steps and support measures.

The office described the decision as a continuation of its choice in January not to appeal the ruling in Ji's separate lawsuit challenging her transfer order.

Ji was working as head of the counseling department at a middle school in Seoul in May 2023 when she received reports that female students were being sexually harassed by male students. She then called for the principal to investigate and take corrective action.

When Ji was placed on a transfer list in 2024, she refused to report to work, arguing the move was retaliation against her as a whistleblower. The education office dismissed her on the grounds that she had been absent without justifiable cause.

Ji subsequently filed lawsuits challenging both the transfer and the dismissal, and has been staging a sit-in protest outside the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's old and new buildings for three years.

"We will use this case as a lesson to strengthen institutional safeguards and communication so that similar conflicts and pain do not recur in schools," an office official said. "We will review and improve our overall administrative systems to protect the rights of whistleblowers and ensure fair and transparent governance."


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