**Moon Jeong-bok Raises Concerns Over Potential Influence of Perpetrator’s Parents’ Status on Education Department’s Review Results**… Criticizes Inadequate Protection for Victim Students
Amid controversy over a recent school violence incident involving a city council member’s child in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, questions have been raised about the appropriateness of measures taken by the local education authorities regarding the student involved.
Im Tae-hee, the Superintendent of Education for Gyeonggi Province, has promised a thorough investigation.
Moon Jeong-bok, a Democratic Party lawmaker from Siheung, Gyeonggi, criticized the handling of the situation during a National Assembly’s Education Committee audit on the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education. She stated, “The child of Assemblyman A from Seongnam Council and others forced student B to dance under duress, and when refused, verbally abused them, engaging in violence unimaginable. Despite this, the school delayed transferring the case to the education support office.”
Moon further criticized, “The education support office took a staggering three months to deliver a conclusion, which was baffling. No agreement or material compensation was reached between the victim’s guardians and the perpetrator’s guardian, Assemblyman A. Yet the perpetrator received a score of 2 for ‘harm intensity’ and 1 for ‘degree of remorse.'”
“Even though the review committee noted a lack of genuine repentance, the perpetrator received only 1 point instead of 3-4 points. Consequently, their final score was merely 13. A score of 15 could warrant a transfer, and 16 could lead to expulsion. It is reasonable to infer that the fact that the major perpetrator’s parent is a city council member influenced the education office’s deliberation,” she asserted.
Moon emphasized, “Moreover, the perpetrators harassed not only the victim students but also their guardians, leading to an administrative appeal by the guardians. Given this process, the current disciplinary score is incomprehensible. With the superintendent’s honor at stake, there must be strict disciplinary action.”
In response, Superintendent Im remarked, “I find the points raised to be valid. In cases of school violence, I have always stressed that protecting the victim is paramount. We will conduct rigorous investigations to determine if there was negligence or leniency due to the involvement of a certain individual (city council member). Appropriate corrective actions will be taken.”
Previously, the child of Assemblyman A, along with three peers, was involved in incidents such as mixing snacks with sand and forcing student B to consume them and physically overpowering them under the guise of game penalties in a public park in Seongnam’s elementary school from April to June.
Upon receiving and confirming reports of these incidents in July, the education authorities convened a school violence committee to issue sanctions. Two of the perpetrators were required to provide written apologies and change classes; those less involved received orders for written apologies and four hours of school service.
Nonetheless, the revelation of the perpetrator’s parent being a city council member and the insufficient response by the authorities has spurred backlash from the local community against the education department’s handling of the case.