Regional education offices scrutinized over hidden camera problem in schools

A woman checks for hidden cameras in a restroom at a community center in Yongsan, Seoul, in this March 8, 2017 photo. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki

By Bahk Eun-ji

Concerns are rising over regional education offices' alleged negligence in identifying the possible existence of hidden cameras in elementary, middle and high schools nationwide, according to data submitted to Rep. Bae Jun-young of the main opposition United Future Party by the Ministry of Education, Tuesday.

According to the data submitted, 170 cases of illegal recording using hidden cameras have been reported in schools across the country since 2017. Among them, five cases were reported between January and July this year, 65 in 2019, 55 in 2018 and 53 in 2017.

By region, 88 cases were reported in Seoul, 26 in Busan, 22 in North Gyeongsang Province, 15 in South Jeolla, 13 in Incheon, 10 in South Chungcheong, and two in Gwangju and South Gyeongsang Province, respectively.

Recently, the education ministry said it had begun to conduct a “full-scale” inspection of elementary, middle and high schools across the country, in cooperation with 17 regional education offices, after two teachers in Gimhae and Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, were found to have installed hidden cameras in bathrooms of the schools they worked at.

The MOE plans to draw up comprehensive measures based on the inspection results, but many educators as well as parents voiced concerns that a one-off inspection would not be enough to determine the scale of the problem nor prevent such crimes being committed against school children.

Many regional education offices were found not to have maintained records of hidden camera cases, meaning the actual number of crimes could be much higher.

In the case of Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education, it was confirmed that the office didn't have data related to the cases for 2019 and this year. In addition, other educational offices including Gyeonggi, Gangwon and Daejeon were not even included in the statistics as they didn't have data of any crimes after 2017.

However, according to the data released by the National Police Agency, 173 cases of hidden cameras found in schools were reported in 2018 alone, with 115 reported in 2017. The education ministry can hardly avoid criticism over their negligence toward the illegal filming crimes so far, according to observers.

The education ministry asked the regional education offices to conduct inspections with the assistance of the police, but suggested teachers should take the lead in the inspections.

Some pointed out that teachers may not be able to detect hidden cameras without related expertise, and the inspections will end up wasting tax payers' money.

“As far as we know, teachers are still conducting inspections at least in schools in Gyeonggi Province. The MOE ordered the inspection due to the crimes committed by teachers in schools they worked at, and yet they made teachers do this work,” said Yang Min-ju, a chairman of the female committee of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union.

“Considering that, we cannot be sure that the education ministry truly wishes to root out such crimes in schools,” Yang said.

An education ministry official said, “We will check the results of the ongoing inspection into illegal filming crimes next month, and based on the results, we will come up with measures focusing on establishing a system of both regular and random inspections.”

He said once the education ministry creates an inspection system, it will be able to manage the regional office educations' performance of the inspection. The Ministry of Education recently asked 17 regional education offices across the country to conduct full-scale inspections by the end of this month.