Gyeonggi education authorities voted to suspend the director of a private kindergarten in Bucheon for two months over a forged resignation letter and lax attendance management. A lawmaker called the penalty too lenient.
According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun and Seoul Shinmun, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's disciplinary committee voted at an August meeting to suspend the director, identified as A, for two months. The decision was disclosed on the 11th by Rep. Kang Kyung-sook (Rebuilding Korea Party) from Ministry of Education data. Authorities found that A forged and used a resignation letter in the name of the deceased teacher and neglected attendance management, a breach of the duty of integrity.
광고 문의 · 300×250Three more days at work after a flu diagnosis, dead within about two weeks
The sequence of events is as follows. The teacher, identified as B and in her twenties, was diagnosed with influenza B on January 27 this year but kept working for three days looking after children. Her condition worsened sharply, and she died on February 14 after hospital treatment. Reports that she had gone to work despite a fever above 39 degrees prompted criticism of a structure in which teachers cannot take time off (Herald Business).
The resignation letter is the crux. It was dated February 10, four days before B's death, when B was reportedly in intensive care and unable to write it herself. The Bucheon Office of Education began an audit on March 25 to examine whether leave such as sick leave had been improperly restricted and whether the letter was forged and used, and it reportedly asked the provincial office for a severe penalty.
A separate criminal case is under way. Police referred A to prosecutors without detention in May on suspicion of forging and using a private document, and prosecutors indicted without detention in August. At the closing hearing of the first trial on the 15th of last month, prosecutors sought six months in prison; the verdict is due on the 29th at the Incheon District Court, Bucheon Branch.
Rep. Kang called the penalty far too light and urged a fresh special audit and systems to prevent a recurrence. Some civic groups and media outlets voiced similar criticism. The family's position was not confirmed in this reporting.
From another angle, discipline of a private kindergarten director is decided by the provincial committee under the relevant laws and sentencing standards, and further action may follow once the criminal verdict is in. Whatever the outcome of the trial, how to provide substitute staff and leave arrangements so that sick teachers can actually rest remains an institutional task.
