Jeju Provides 827 Counseling Sessions for School Staff, Linking Support from Reports of Teacher-Rights Violations to Lawsuits and Recovery

【Financial News | Jeju = Jeong Yong-bok】 The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education is operating an integrated protection system that runs from reporting an infringement of educational activities through separating affected teachers, providing legal support, psychological counseling and treatment, and restoring the school community.
According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education on the 29th, 229 school staff members had undergone psychological assessments by the end of August this year, while 827 counseling sessions had been provided to 311 people. Psychiatric hospital and clinic expenses were covered for 24 people, and 79 participated in a teacher resilience program.
The provincial office of education has designated the Ansim Call Center, 064-1395, as the initial reporting channel when an infringement of educational activities or a school-related complaint occurs. It has also streamlined procedures so that schools, education support offices and the Educational Activities Protection Center can respond in stages.
When a school reports a case to the Ansim Call Center, an education supervisor assigned to the relevant school level at the Educational Activities Protection Center and an education supervisor from the education support office assist the school. They provide guidance on separating the affected teacher from the person involved in the infringement, the teacher's work duties and class operations, and procedures before the Regional Committee for the Protection of Teachers’ Rights.
The Act on the Status of Teachers requires the alleged offender and the affected teacher to be separated immediately when an infringement of educational activities is identified, unless there is a special reason such as opposition from the teacher. The Regional Committee for the Protection of Teachers’ Rights, established under the education support office, deliberates on whether an infringement occurred and on measures concerning students, parents and guardians, and others.
Professional counseling teachers work directly with affected teachers to connect them with psychological counseling, psychiatric hospital and clinic treatment, and recovery programs. If conflicts continue among members of a class or school after an infringement, the office also supports school-level recovery programs.
The provincial office of education has also extended the Ansim Call Center's operating hours since last September. Counseling is available from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and public holidays.

When cases develop into legal disputes, the Teacher Protection Mutual Aid Program and an external attorney support system are activated. If a teacher becomes involved in a civil or criminal case related to educational activities, litigation costs of up to 6.6 million won may be covered at each stage of court proceedings. If it is deemed necessary for a teacher to file a criminal complaint or accusation to prevent repeated or continuing infringements of educational activities, attorney fees of up to 3.3 million won per case may be provided during the investigation stage.
Last year in Jeju, litigation costs totaling 18.2 million won were provided in all four cases in which teachers were subject to criminal complaints or accusations related to educational activities. The outcomes were one case of deferred prosecution, two cases in which authorities found no grounds for charges, and one case with no disposition.
By the end of August this year, one civil case in which a teacher was sued had been filed under the mutual aid program, and the first trial was underway. The Our School Lawyer program, involving 25 attorneys recommended by the Jeju Bar Association, is also in operation. Six cases received legal support through August this year.
Attorneys employed by the provincial office of education handle school legal consultations, on-site support for infringements of educational activities, and the drafting of the superintendent's opinion letters. However, attorneys employed by a public institution cannot be appointed as a teacher's personal counsel and participate in police questioning. When a case requires actual representation, the office links the teacher with an external attorney and the mutual aid program.
The office also released data on the superintendent's opinion letters for teachers reported for child abuse. From 2023 through the end of August this year, opinion letters were submitted in 11 cases involving teachers reported for child abuse. In seven of those cases, the office stated that the teachers' conduct constituted legitimate student guidance; it submitted no separate opinion in the other four.
By year, the office issued opinions supporting legitimate student guidance in one of one case in 2023, three of six cases in 2024, and all three cases last year. One case was filed this year through August, but no opinion supporting legitimate student guidance was submitted. Prosecutorial decisions in the seven cases involving such opinions consisted of five non-prosecution decisions and two cases handled as child protection cases; none resulted in an indictment.
When digital sexual violence, including illegal filming and deepfakes, leads to an infringement of educational activities, the office also connects victims with external specialist organizations. In Jeju, teachers can receive support for deleting recorded material, investigations, and psychological, legal and medical services through the Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center.

Prevention programs are also being expanded. Through August this year, 192 schools in Jeju had operated programs to prevent infringements of educational activities, with a related budget of 217 million won. On-site prevention education was provided for a total of 36 hours at 23 schools: one kindergarten, 10 elementary schools, seven middle schools and five high schools.
The office supported the installation of school complaint counseling rooms at 26 schools, including 17 elementary schools, five middle schools and four high schools. A Teacher Safe Number service, which allows teachers to speak with parents and others without disclosing their personal mobile phone numbers, is used by 2,689 people.
Customized recovery support programs to resolve conflicts within school communities after an infringement were operated at five schools, including three elementary schools and two middle schools.
The provincial office of education is also pursuing an organizational restructuring plan to consolidate its educational activities protection functions, currently centered on the Emotional Recovery Division and other units, into a dedicated organization directly under the superintendent.
The restructuring plan calls for establishing the Educational Activities Protection Office directly under the superintendent to centralize the prevention of infringements of educational activities, conflict mediation, case response and recovery support. If finalized after the relevant procedures and deliberation and approval by the Jeju Provincial Council, the plan is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.
The provincial office of education will hold a discussion forum next month on the theme “A New Beginning for the Protection of Educational Activities: Finding a Way Forward Together” to gather opinions from schools.
[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter