Education scandal in S. Chungcheong Province

The superintendent of the South Chungcheong Provincial Office of Education, who was investigated twice in a corruption scandal involving an exam to select new school inspectors, has attempted suicide by drinking poison. Kim Jong-seong has been under police investigation as he is known to be the mastermind behind a scheme in which inspectors leaked questions of an exam for selecting new inspectors in return for money. Whether he attempted suicide to stress his innocence or admit to the suspicion remains unclear. But education sector insiders say that barring a direct order from him, leaking questions of the exam would have been impossible. In police questioning, Kim denied wrongdoing by saying, “I had nothing to do with leaks of exam questions.” He did admit, however, to using several of 14 mobile phones registered under fabricated names that the inspectors in question used. Why on earth would the superintendent, who spearheads education in the region, use mobile phones registered under fake names?

Kim is the province`s third superintendent to be implicated in a corruption scandal. His two predecessors were forced out after being involved in irregularities. Oh Je-jik was elected superintendent in a direct election in 2008, but was fined 10 million won (9,250 U.S. dollars) after resigning due to alleged election violations. Kang Bok-hwan, who became superintendent in 2000, was found guilty of accepting bribes from education officials up for promotion.

South Chungcheong is not the only region with corrupt education chiefs. Eight of the 17 superintendents in metropolitan and provincial offices of education have been investigated or are awaiting trial for complicity in corruption. Na Geun-hyeong, superintendent of the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, was found to have fabricated job performance records to promote his confidants, which led to a prosecutorial raid on his office Tuesday. North Jeolla Province Superintendent Kim Seung-hwan and Gangwon Province Superintendent Min Byeong-hee, both of whom are considered progressive, were cited for illegal intervention in the promotion of education officers. Kwak No-hyun, former superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, lost his post after being found guilty of bribing his opponent in the superintendent election to drop out.

Certain candidates for superintendent have reported to the National Election Commission of using more than 3 billion won (2.77 million U.S. dollars) on their election campaigns. Insiders, however, say they spent more than what was reported to authorities. How easy would it be for those who worked as teachers or professors throughout their careers to raise such a large sum? An unsuccessful superintendent candidate said, “It costs an astronomical amount of money that only a millionaire can afford.” Once elected, a superintendent must reward to those who contributed to his or her election victory. Rumors have it that the corruption scandal in South Chungcheong occurred because the superintendent sought to mobilize funds to use in next year’s election. Likewise, corruption committed by superintendents is a structural problem. The indirect election system, in which superintendents are elected by members of school steering committees and that was implemented before the direct voting system, also has the negative side effect of “money-based elections.” Far-reaching reform must be considered in the election system of educational superintendents, which fuels corruption.