By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
The authorities will take heavy punitive action against the head of the foundation controlling the Daewon Foreign Language High School, who is also its principal, for his illicit collection of funds from parents over three years.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SOME) said Friday the school extorted 2.2 billion won from parent representatives from 2007 to 2009.
The office conducted a special audit on the school from March 19 to 29.
The local education office said it would request the dismissal of Lee Won-hee, the school's founder and the head of Daewon Educational Foundation, holding him accountable for the forced collection of funds from parents.
His actions were revealed by a parent of a student attending the elite school and civic groups including the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union (KTU) and the National Association of Parents for True Education who made the allegations in mid-March.
According to the results of the inspection, the school collected 934 million won in 2007, 597 million won in 2008 and 597 million won in 2009.
The money was collected under the pretext of Teachers' Day and holiday presents and expenses for teachers' get-togethers.
Some 192 million won was used for school development and 611 million won was for snacks for students.
The education office slapped heavy disciplinary actions against the principal and vice-principal who received money, valuables and dinners from parents, and five teachers who received more than 10 million won.
Another 30 teachers who received less than 3 million won will face lighter action.
"The 150 million won of the development fund unfairly garnered will be returned to parents," an official of SMOE said.
The official said that the education office will make sure that it will draw up and implement measures to prevent similar irregularities at other schools.
"We are going to carry out special monitoring of schools to prevent them from forcing parents to make donations," he said. "Especially, we will come forward with preemptive countermeasures going forward."