Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education to Take Over School Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Investigations and Reviews Starting in September

[Financial News, Jeju = Jung Yong-bok] The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education will directly handle fact-finding and reviews for sexual harassment and sexual violence cases that had previously been managed by schools. The move is designed to strengthen professionalism and trust in case handling by concentrating investigations and reviews at the education office, while schools focus on initial response and victim protection.
According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education on the 31st, school sexual harassment and sexual violence grievance review committees will be transferred to the education office starting September 1.
The core of the transfer is to separate the roles of schools and the education office. When a sexual harassment or sexual violence case occurs, the school will handle on-site response, including initial counseling, reporting and intake, victim protection, and measures to prevent recurrence. The education office will then take charge of fact-finding and the operation of the grievance review committee.
The aim is to reduce the workload that can arise when schools directly handle investigations and reviews of sensitive cases, while using specialized personnel to improve consistency in case-by-case judgments and procedures.
In particular, sexual harassment and sexual violence cases require both fact-checking and victim protection, as well as measures to prevent secondary harm, making expertise in the investigation and review process especially important.
To support the reform, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education has operated a dedicated task force since January with participation from school officials and outside experts, including lawyers and labor attorneys. The task force analyzed operating cases from other cities and provinces and reviewed the roles of schools and the education office, as well as case-handling procedures. Based on that work, it revised related guidelines and prepared response manuals and forms for use in the field.
On the 27th, the office also held training for staff in charge of school sexual harassment and sexual violence cases to explain the new procedures. The session covered the initial response schools must take immediately after an incident, victim protection, reporting procedures to the education office, and the school’s cooperation and follow-up measures after the case is transferred for investigation and review.
The reform does not eliminate the role of schools. Schools must protect victims so they can continue their daily educational activities and carry out follow-up measures and recurrence prevention steps on the ground based on the review results. The education office will be responsible for the specialized judgment involved in fact-finding and review.
The success of the new system will depend not simply on transferring the work to the education office, but on whether investigation speed, expertise, and victim protection actually improve. The key test will be whether the time from reporting to fact-finding is shortened, whether secondary harm to victims can be prevented during the investigation process, and whether review results are smoothly connected to schools’ follow-up actions.
A Jeju education office official said, "We focused on handling cases in a professional and consistent manner while reducing the burden on schools," adding, "We will operate the system stably so that schools can concentrate on protecting victims and creating a safe educational environment."


[email protected] Jung Yong-bok Reporter