Seoul Education Chief Expresses Regret Over Abolishment of Citizen Auditor System: What It Means for Public Reporting

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Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik expressed regret after the Seoul Metropolitan Council approved an amendment that abolishes the Office of Education’s full-time citizen auditor positions.

On the 13th, following the amendment’s passage, Jeong posted on his social media account that he regretted the council’s decision. He said the council approved the measure to eliminate full-time citizen auditors first in the Education Committee on the 10th and then again in the plenary session, despite the education office’s earnest appeal that the full-time auditors — who play a constructive role — should be retained.

Jeong noted that the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education introduced part-time citizen auditors in 2010 to strengthen audit fairness and objectivity. In 2015, the office hired full-time citizen auditors to oversee audits of public-interest whistleblower cases, which improved confidence in those investigations. Since 2016, the office expanded the number of full-time auditors to three to encourage whistleblowing and reinforce trust in the investigative process.

He warned that with the planned elimination of full-time citizen auditors in July, the Public Interest Reporting Center is likely to face operational difficulties and that protections and support for whistleblowers could weaken. Jeong said the education office will develop measures to preserve the center’s functions and protection capabilities and will consider options to strengthen the center in practice.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council held a plenary session and passed the partial amendment to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Citizen Auditor Ordinance, proposed by Councilor Hwang Cheol-gyu (People Power Party, Seongdong 4), with 52 votes in favor, 3 against, and 1 abstention out of 56 members present.

Citizen auditors are Seoul residents appointed by the superintendent to conduct audits and investigations or recommend corrections to unfair practices. The system has included both part-time and full-time positions. Under the amendment, the full-time positions will be abolished. The total number of citizen auditors will be reduced from up to 50 to up to 30, and part-time auditors will be limited to one reappointment.

The revision was prompted by the case of teacher Ji Hye-bok, who reported on-campus sexual violence and was later reassigned — a transfer a court subsequently ruled invalid. Critics argued that full-time citizen auditors had failed to properly assess the whistleblower report and that the office’s oversight was ineffective relative to its scale, prompting calls for reform.