The steel door leading to the ninth floor of the Seoul Education Office in downtown Seoul is locked and opens only for employees with clearance or visitors with passes. Inserted is a monitoring system installed for the door.
/ Korea Times Photo
by Kang Shin-who |
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The government is telling top educators to keep their channels of communication open.
However, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in downtown Seoul is apparently backpedalling from this government policy. The ninth floor, where the superintendent's office is located, is locked behind a steel door with a monitoring system that allows in only those who have prior permission.
The 11-story building operates three elevators, and the superintendent's floor is accessible from only one.
In front of the elevator, a guard checks to make sure visitors have made arrangements to meet with the top educator.
Asked when the steel door was installed, security officials said they don't know exactly when, but that the door and monitoring system are aimed at protecting the city's top educator from protestors.
The education office has been headed by acting Superintendent Kim Kyung-hoi since the former top educator, Kong Jeong-taek, was dismissed last October.
Kong was slapped with a fine of 1.5 million won by the Supreme Court, for failing to report a borrowed-name bank account when documenting his assets before the 2009 election.
Under the current law, city or provincial educators have to leave their positions when they are convicted of a crime that carries a fine of more than 1 million won.
Security officials say Kong introduced the protective system, as his office had been targeted by groups of teachers and parents, who were dissatisfied with his conservative policies.
Koh Kyung-chun, a security official at the building, said, "The current system is more effective in protecting the superintendant than calling the police.
"I guess we can open the door when the new superintendent takes office after the June 2 elections if that person decides to open it up."
"Blocking the entire floor shows how the office fails to communicate with interested parties," said Eum Min-yong, spokesman of the progressive Korea Teachers & Education Worker's Union.
kswho@koreatimes.co.kr
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