“So Teachers Don’t Have to Shoulder It Alone”: Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s “SEM119” Selected as an Outstanding Case

Seoul Education Office Selected in Ministry of Education’s Evaluation of Teacher Protection of Educational Activities

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s “SEM119” program, which includes the “100-Lawyer Team Accompanying Teachers” for one-on-one legal support when teachers’ educational activities are infringed upon and “Emergency Classroom Safety SEM,” which provides staff to classrooms facing crises involving such infringements, has been selected as an outstanding case in the evaluation of teacher protection of educational activities.

On November 11, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that Seoul’s policies to protect teachers’ educational activities, centered on the emergency support team “SEM119,” had been selected as an outstanding case in the city category for teacher protection of educational activities in the Ministry of Education’s “2026 Evaluation of Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education.”

The Ministry of Education selected Seoul’s system for protecting teachers’ educational activities as an outstanding case. The system links prevention, response, recovery, and dissemination through SEM119’s one-stop support; the nation’s first “100-Lawyer Team Accompanying Teachers”; Emergency Classroom Safety SEM; and counseling tailored to teachers. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to share its exemplary policies at a performance-sharing event for the Ministry of Education’s evaluation of metropolitan and provincial offices of education, scheduled to be held in Jeju this December.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s support for teachers’ educational activities takes the form of “SEM119, helping teachers respond by their side” and a “team of lawyers standing with teachers through legal difficulties.” SEM119, which includes education supervisors and dedicated lawyers from 11 district offices of education, assesses cases and coordinates on-site response with legal, conflict-resolution, and psychological support.

In the first half of this year (March-August), SEM119 supported a total of 3,638 cases. This exceeded the 1,715 cases supported over the whole of last year. In user satisfaction surveys, the proportion of respondents who were “satisfied or very satisfied” was 94% this year, following 93% last year, maintaining a high level.

SEM119’s support in the first half of the year comprised 2,390 instances of information provision, 809 of legal support, 760 of emergency classroom support, 109 of psychological counseling, 66 of conflict mediation, 52 of educational support, and 5 other instances, for a total of 4,191 instances, including overlapping services. Support figures also include initial consultations and information provision, and multiple types of support may be provided for a single case.

Under the legal support program, the “100-Lawyer Team Accompanying Teachers” provides teachers facing difficulties, including child abuse allegations, with tailored one-on-one assistance from the outset through to the conclusion of a case. This includes lawyer consultations, drafting written opinions, and accompanying teachers to investigations and questioning. For unusual cases involving infringements of educational activities, the program also coordinates joint responses by experts and the appointment of lawyers to help teachers and schools respond.

Emergency Classroom Safety SEM helps protect both teachers’ educational activities and students’ learning. It provides emergency support staff to assist teachers in classrooms facing crises involving infringements of educational activities, helping stabilize the classroom. Psychological counseling and recovery support provided at schools help teachers facing difficulties return to their daily lives.

In line with the establishment of a new Teacher Rights Policy Division in January 2027, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to strengthen the support system at district offices of education. For cases requiring additional assistance, the central office and district offices will consult and coordinate the necessary specialized support. As part of an organizational restructuring, a School Legal Support Team will be established within the Administrative Management Division. The office will systematically coordinate school legal support work, which has been dispersed across multiple departments, and establish a unified contact point so schools can quickly access the legal assistance they need. It will also strengthen support for a range of legal disputes at schools, where legal assistance has been relatively limited, beyond cases involving infringements of teachers’ rights.

Superintendent Jeong Geun-sik said, “Seoul’s education system will stand with teachers so they do not have to shoulder these challenges alone. From the moment they ask for help through their recovery and their return to stable educational activities, we will ensure that the support they need remains by their side.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.