To assist citizens struggling with administrative appeals due to financial difficulties or lack of legal knowledge, the Seoul Education Office is expanding its free legal aid service, known as 'public defenders for administrative appeals,' from 8 to 16.
This proactive measure aims to respond to the rising demand for legal assistance as application barriers have been lowered, establishing a more robust and stable system for protecting rights.
On November 11, the Seoul Education Office's Administrative Appeals Committee announced the public recruitment of 8 new public defenders.
Eligible candidates must be lawyers or certified labor consultants, with applications accepted from November 9 to 16 via email. A final selection will be announced in December after a document review.
The newly appointed defenders will assist claimants throughout the entire administrative appeal process, including legal consultations and drafting supplementary documents, starting January 1, 2027, for a two-year term.
The public defender system provides free legal support to claimants who cannot afford to hire representatives due to economic constraints or lack of legal knowledge.
The increase in public defenders follows recent amendments to the administrative appeals law, which significantly lowered the barriers for applying for public defenders.
According to the Seoul Education Office's Administrative Appeals Committee, after a surge in applications in December 2025, there has been a steady increase in monthly applications, averaging 3 cases throughout 2026.
The committee anticipates that expanding the number of public defenders to 16 will enhance the quality of administrative appeal services.
This expansion will ensure sufficient capacity to assign defenders even during peak periods, such as year-end and New Year.
Additionally, by distributing cases among 16 defenders instead of 8, the workload on individual defenders will be reduced, allowing for more attentive legal services for claimants.
Considering that the processing period for administrative appeals typically takes 2 to 3 months, the staggered appointment of defenders is expected to eliminate gaps in legal support.
A representative from the Seoul Education Office's Administrative Appeals Committee stated, "The expansion of public defenders reflects the education office's commitment to achieving practical rights protection for economically disadvantaged individuals. We hope that many capable legal professionals will apply, enabling citizens to receive faster and more reliable legal assistance."
For more details on the public defender recruitment, please refer to the announcement on the Seoul Education Office's website.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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