Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Gov't launches new inspection to find hidden cameras in schools
Police officers check for hidden cameras at a public restroom in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, in this May 30, 2018 file photo. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
The Ministry of Education (MOE) said Tuesday that it has asked 17 regional education offices to conduct a “full-scale” inspection into possible existence of hidden cameras in elementary, middle and highs schools nationwide.
The ministry's move comes after two teachers in Gimhae and Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, were found to have installed hidden cameras in the bathrooms of the schools they worked at.
Initially, the Gyeongsangnamdo Office of Education (GNE), which is in charge of the schools where the teachers worked, decided to conduct thorough inspections of all schools in its jurisdiction this month using specialized detection equipment; but the education ministry decided to expand the scope of the investigation to the whole country considering the seriousness of the issue.
“I offer a sincere apology to the residents, parents of the region and female staff members and teachers at the schools,” said Park Jong-hoon, superintendent of the GNE, although he failed to include students in his statement.
A high school teacher in Gimhae, was arrested last week on charges of installing a hidden camera in a female restroom on the first floor of the school building, June 24.
Meanwhile a middle school teacher in Changnyeong was also arrested the same day on charges of installing a camera in a female restroom on the second floor of the school building. When the incidents became known, the Federation of Teachers' Union called on the education authorities to conduct a full investigation into the installation of such illegal cameras at all schools nationwide, saying it was a “vicious crime against young students that cannot be forgiven for any excuse.”
The education ministry said the matters have been referred to the law enforcement agencies for criminal investigation.
Education offices will utilize the same detection equipment that was distributed to education offices nationwide in 2018 by police to assist in bathroom inspections for hidden cameras as a part of the then-much-publicized special measures to eliminate illegal filming crimes in school bathrooms.
"Illegal filming in schools must never take place as it breaks the trust of the school community in the country. All educators should join together to prevent the recurrence of such a disgraceful incident,” said Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae.