According to a report from Congressman Kim Young-ho’s office, nearly half of the school staff members investigated for sexual misconduct over the past five years have remained in their positions without being suspended. This has raised concerns about the risk of secondary victimization due to the lack of effective suspension measures during the initial stages of investigations.
The data provided by the Ministry of Education to Congressman Kim, a member of the National Assembly’s Education Committee, showed that out of the 655 notifications of investigation for school staff sexual misconduct from 2021 to August 2025, 289 cases (44%) involved staff who were not suspended and continued working in schools. Despite investigations being initiated after reports from victims or schools, perpetrators and victims often remained in the same school due to the absence of separation measures before a final court judgment.
The number of investigation notifications has remained relatively constant each year: 129 in 2021, 153 in 2022, 160 in 2023, 137 in 2024, and 76 by August 2025. However, the rate of maintaining positions increased from 27% in 2021 to 57% by August 2025. Regionally, Gyeonggi Province had the highest number of investigations at 128, followed by Seoul with 80, Incheon with 59, Gangwon with 58, and Gyeongnam with 46. Busan showed a particularly high rate of maintaining positions post-investigation at 79%, highlighting a lack of effective separation measures during investigations.
The cases were comprised of 534 from public schools and 121 from private schools. The position maintenance rate was higher in private schools at 50% compared to 43% in public schools. This discrepancy is attributed to structural limitations in private schools, where board approval is required for suspension, reducing enforceability compared to public schools.
Reasons for not suspending staff included “need to confirm investigation results due to sharp conflicts between complainant and accused” and “rejection by the board despite school principal’s recommendation for suspension.” In some cases, continuation of duties was justified by “mild misconduct not affecting normal work performance.”
Congressman Kim emphasized that the core issue in sexual misconduct cases is not just prosecution but ensuring effective separation measures to protect victims and prevent secondary harm from the outset of investigations. He called for stricter criteria for suspension from the initial stages of investigations to ensure victim safety throughout potentially lengthy investigation periods.