Appellate court's ruling puts Cho Hee-yeon at risk of being sacked

An appellate court also sentenced Cho Hee-yeon, the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, to a punishment that would require him to lose his job for reinstating five teachers, previously dismissed, who belonged to a teachers’ labor union.

On Thursday, the Seoul High Court stuck to a lower court’s sentence of one and a half years in prison, with a suspended sentence for two years. The judge concluded that the minimum level of open competitiveness was not considered part of the special employment process, citing that the superintendent did not take proper action for open competitiveness but gave preferential treatment and rewards.

Cho will inevitably step down if the Supreme Court confirms the appellate court's decision. His term is supposed to end by June 2026.

"Regrettably, the court did not make things right although the whole process of investigations and indictment was handled unreasonably,” Cho said right after the sentencing. “I will immediately appeal the case to the Supreme Court so that it can be remanded.” The case is the first to be investigated by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials since it was launched.


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