“End Civil Complaint Consultations After 20 Minutes” at Gyeongbuk Office of Education... Petitioners Push Back After Ordinance Passes
"Follow-Up Measure Following Amendment to Higher-Level Law"
Jeonnam-Gwangju Also Adopts 20-Minute Limit
A partial amendment to the “Ordinance on the Protection and Support of Staff Responsible for Handling Civil Complaints at the Gyeongbuk Office of Education,” sponsored by Woo Youngbong (People Power Party, Gyeongsan 3), a member of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council, was finally passed on October 15 at the third plenary meeting of the first regular session of the 366th Council.
The amendment reflects revisions to the Enforcement Decree of the Civil Petitions Treatment Act and recommendations in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s “Guidelines for Responding to Unlawful Conduct by Civil Petitioners and Repeated Civil Complaints.” Its key provisions include setting a recommended limit of 20 minutes per consultation; requiring staff to notify petitioners that a consultation will be ended after 15 minutes and adding a provision to end it after 20 minutes if the consultation continues without justifiable grounds; defining terms such as “civil petitioner”; and making separation measures mandatory.
In his explanation of the proposal, Woo said, “As unusual civil complaints grow more serious by the day, the overall quality of civil complaint services has declined, while the physical and psychological harm suffered by staff responsible for handling complaints has reached a level that is difficult to overlook. The government is also actively working to devise measures to protect staff handling civil complaints, including recording and filming consultations and removing petitioners or restricting their access, through revisions to its guidelines. I expect the ordinance amendment to significantly contribute not only to protecting staff responsible for handling civil complaints at the Gyeongbuk Office of Education, but also to improving the efficiency of complaint handling.”
Hot Picks Today
Despite "Insufficient Balance" Notices, They Board Anyway... Reports of Foreign Fare Evasion Mounting
- "If It Helps My Child's Studies, It's Worth Every Penny"... U.S. Parents Open Their Wallets for $10,000 Tests
- [Exclusive] "We Came for a KRW 140,000 Trip": Following Chinese Tourists in Korea Uncovers a 'Suspicious' Tour
- "I'm paying to stay, and you want me to do the laundry and dishes too?" ... Airbnb bans excessive cleaning demands
- "Baek Jongwon Had Been Quiet, Then Hit It Big"... Waits in the 100s in U.S. Despite KRW 46,000 Pork Belly
In response to concerns that setting a 20-minute limit on consultations could inconvenience petitioners, a Gyeongbuk Provincial Council official said, “Following the revision of the higher-level law, long consultations are classified as ‘unusual civil complaints,’ allowing time limits to be set and enforced. We understand that among metropolitan local governments, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City has passed a ‘20-minute ordinance.’”
© The Asia Business Daily. All rights reserved. Unauthorized AI training and use prohibited.
