The Seoul High Court has upheld a decision to temporarily suspend the enforcement of the Ministry of Education's suspension of Park Ji-hyang, head of the Northeast Asian History Foundation.
According to legal sources on November 1, the Administrative Division 6-3 of the Seoul High Court (Judges Park Young-joo, Kim Min-ki, and Choi Hang-seok) dismissed the Ministry's immediate appeal against the decision to grant Park's request for a suspension of the enforcement of her suspension on October 29.
The Ministry of Education launched an investigation last year after allegations arose regarding improper expenditures, including over 27 million won for a trip to Ulleungdo and Dokdo and 12 million won for a forum. Following the investigation, the Ministry reported findings of embezzlement and referred the case to the police, subsequently notifying Park of her suspension. The Ministry cited concerns over unauthorized expenditures and the potential for repeated violations and obstruction of the investigation.
Park contested the suspension, filing a lawsuit for cancellation and a request for a suspension of enforcement on August 3.
The Seoul Administrative Court's Administrative Division 7 (Chief Judge Kang Woo-chan) accepted her request on August 21, stating that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate whether the expenditures were unauthorized or if Park had intentionally committed embezzlement. The court also found it unclear whether the necessity and appropriateness of the suspension were justified.
As a result, the enforcement of the suspension will remain on hold until 30 days after the first ruling in the cancellation lawsuit. The Ministry filed an immediate appeal on August 27, which was not accepted.
This ruling temporarily suspends the enforcement of the suspension but does not determine the legality of the suspension itself. The first hearing date for the cancellation lawsuit has yet to be scheduled. Separately, the Ministry is also pursuing dismissal procedures against Park.
Park, a historian specializing in British history, was appointed as the seventh chair of the foundation in December 2023, with her term set to last until December of this year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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