"First Complaint-Filed Parent in Abusive Petition Case"... An Min-seok Deploys 300 Teachers' Rights Protection Officers to Defend Teachers' Rights

[Financial News, Suwon = Jang Choong-sik] Superintendent of the Gyeonggido Office of Education An Min-seok is taking strong legal action and launching the nation's first Teachers' Rights Protection Officers program to fully protect teachers from unreasonable abusive petitions and safeguard legitimate educational activities.
At a press conference at the Gyeonggi-do Office of Education on the 10th, An announced the final selection of 300 Teachers' Rights Protection Officers and filed a direct criminal complaint in the superintendent's name against the parent involved in the abusive petition case at Bucheon Ojeong Elementary School, which was designated as the first case handled by the Teachers' Rights Protection Task Force.
This complaint against the parent is the first such case involving a violation of teachers' rights since An took office.
The complaint reflects An's strong determination to respond firmly to serious violations of educational activities in schools.
The victimized teacher at Bucheon Ojeong Elementary School had been carrying out normal classroom guidance by mediating a dispute between students, but was then subjected to repeated complaints and a picket protest in front of the school by a parent who took issue with the response.
Even after the school's Teachers' Rights Protection Committee formally recognized the parent's actions as an infringement on legitimate educational activities, the parent filed both a criminal complaint accusing the teacher of child abuse and a civil lawsuit.
An personally organized the Gyeonggi-do Office of Education's Teacher Rights Protection Task Force and served as its head, discussing countermeasures with school officials and the affected teacher.
Although the parent side expressed a willingness to apologize and withdraw the lawsuit, An decided after careful consideration to file the complaint directly, taking into account the scale of the emotional harm suffered by the teacher and the school community, as well as the need to restore legitimate authority in education.
The move follows the superintendent's policy of not allowing teachers' dedication to be undermined by malicious complaints and indiscriminate legal action, and of dealing with such cases strictly in accordance with the law and principles.
Along with the criminal complaint, An Min-seok is finalizing the selection of 300 Teachers' Rights Protection Officers, who will provide close support from the earliest stages when teachers face crisis situations such as abusive petitions or child abuse allegations, and will begin full-scale operations. 
The newly selected officers were organized into a diverse group of experts to maximize on-site response capabilities.
The group includes 160 professionals such as lawyers, doctors, and police officers, as well as 110 teachers with extensive field experience and 30 Gyeonggi-do residents.
In particular, the expert group includes a large number of specialists in legal, psychological, and mediation work, such as conflict resolution experts, professional counselors, former investigators from the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), and international behavioral analysts.
The Teachers' Rights Protection Officers will provide one-on-one, end-to-end support for teachers struggling with serious violations of educational activities, malicious complaints, or child abuse reports, offering comprehensive protection services such as counseling, legal advice, and psychological support from the earliest stage of a case until it is resolved.
The officers are scheduled to be deployed to the field after an inauguration ceremony on the 22nd. The plan is also to appoint about 1,400 applicants who wish to participate as Citizen Teachers' Rights Protection Officers, building a province-wide cooperative network with local communities to protect teachers' rights.
[email protected] Jang Choong-sik Reporter