The transition committee for the sixth popularly elected Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education has requested that Superintendent Ahn Min-suk conduct an audit of 13 officials who handled a school violence case involving the child of Kim Seung-hee, former protocol secretary at the Presidential Office under former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The transition committee said Monday, "After hearing opinions from those involved and reviewing materials since June 15, we determined there is a need to verify the appropriateness of the case-handling process." The audit targets officials who handled the matter at the time at the Seongnam Office of Education and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education.
The reasons for the audit request presented by the transition committee include the appropriateness of the operation of the Seongnam Office of Education's school violence review committee, the process of determining measures, and the state of management of deliberation records. Also included as subjects of verification are whether a forced transfer for the perpetrating student was avoided, suspected external pressure, the criteria for judging the continuity of school violence, and the personnel process for those involved after the incident.
The case occurred in July 2023 at an elementary school in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Kim's child assaulted a student one grade lower on the 10th and 17th of the same month, and the victim suffered bruises and abrasions to the face.
Controversy arose over whether the measures taken against the perpetrating student at the time were appropriate. The transition committee explained that an independent fact-finding investigation was necessary, saying, "Suspicions of downplaying and covering up were continuously raised throughout the entire case-handling process."
Meanwhile, the transition committee is operating the Gyeonggi Education Justice Special Committee, composed of legal, investigative, and education experts, to verify suspicions related to education issues.
