School Staff Caught Selling Public Laptops and Dehumidifiers Online

Four school staff members have been caught selling public school property on second-hand trading websites.

According to the civic group Citizens' Association for a Society Without Academic Credentials on Wednesday, July 15, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission notified the Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education (Jeonnam Complex, formerly the Jeonnam Office of Education) of the audit results regarding the four staff members suspected of stealing public property and requested a police investigation.

A staff member at a middle school sold a school-owned dehumidifier for staff housing on a second-hand trading site. The individual received a light disciplinary action of reprimand, a disciplinary surcharge of 100,000 won, a fine of 300,000 won, and an institutional warning.

A staff member at an elementary school sold multiple school-owned laptops on a second-hand site without authorization, generating 15.55 million won in illicit profits.

The Office of Education imposed a heavy disciplinary action of dismissal on the staff member, ordered the recovery of the profits, and imposed a disciplinary surcharge of 46.67 million won.

The police have booked both staff members on charges of theft and are currently investigating the cases.

It was confirmed that a staff member at another middle school sold educational materials, such as Lego sets, on a second-hand site, while a staff member at another elementary school was found to have sold educational equipment, including AI robots, on a second-hand marketplace and kept some items at their home without authorization.

The Citizens' Association for a Society Without Academic Credentials emphasized, "Such misconduct goes beyond moral hazard and constitutes a serious crime that infringes upon students' right to learn," adding, "The Office of Education must include the management of public property in school audit checklists and demonstrate a firm commitment to improving integrity by expanding protection and rewards for whistleblowers."

An official from the Jeonnam-Gwangju Office of Education stated, "In early June, we sent an official document to all schools under the Jeonnam Complex prohibiting the private use and profit-making of public institution property and have begun a full-scale inspection," adding, "We will take follow-up measures to ensure there is no negligence in the management of school property."

(Photo: Provided by Jeonnam-Gwangju Office of Education, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.