School return follows Superintendent Jeong Geun-sik's formal apology
Whistleblower protection, sexual violence response system to be improved
Ji Hye-bok, a teacher who has been locked in a long-running dispute with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, will return to her original school. The move follows an agreement between the education office and a joint committee representing Ji to end the prolonged conflict.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with Ji and the joint committee to resolve her case and improve the related system going forward. The office pledged to provide the administrative support and take the steps needed to ensure Ji's smooth return to school.
The case began with a sexual violence incident at the school and evolved into a whistleblower report, Ji's transfer and dismissal, and related lawsuits. Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik issued a formal apology to the student victim, the victim's guardian, Ji and the joint committee.
The office plans to review and evaluate how it handled the sexual violence case at the time. That review will cover its protection of the victim and its handling of Ji's transfer and whistleblower protection. It also plans to improve its whistleblower protection system and teacher transfer procedures.
In addition, the office plans to strengthen its support system for protecting and helping student victims of school sexual violence recover.
"We will closely examine the shortcomings in our systems and administration that this case revealed, so that the same thing does not happen again," Jeong said.
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