A person surnamed Kim, 42, who works at a city hall in Gyeonggi Province, recently filed a countersuit against a petitioner who had repeatedly sued. The petitioner filed a damages suit against the city, saying "the sewer was clogged and my store was flooded," but lost in the first, second and third trials.
However, refusing to accept the rulings, the petitioner targeted Kim personally and filed 26 complaints over six years on charges including perjury, making false official documents, and using forged official documents. In the end, all of these cases were closed with a disposition of "no charges."
Kim said, "With the same evidence, the complainant just changes the charges and files over and over, causing serious disruption to my work," adding, "even after I transferred departments, the person found my contact and kept calling, so the harassment continues and I'm worried it will affect my family." Kim said the decision to sue was "to survive."
◇ Public officials' complaints and accusations against petitioners double
As so-called "petitioner bombardment lawsuits," in which suits are repeatedly filed over the same matter, continue, more public officials are responding with countersuits. Still, it is hard to prove harassment through litigation, so not many cases lead to criminal punishment.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 21st, as of 2024 the number of complaints and accusations filed by public officials against petitioners was 1,283. That is more than double the 627 cases in 2020. In other words, complaints and accusations against petitioners have surged in recent years.
A person surnamed Lee, 56, who worked at a public institution under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, recently filed a complaint against a petitioner for insult, intimidation, and obstruction of official duties. The petitioner demanded money, hurled verbal abuse and committed assault against Lee about 500 times, filed about 10 complaints, and Lee was later diagnosed with cancer. The petitioner received a suspended prison sentence over the case.
There are also cases where government ministries have directly filed accusations. The Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 12th began legal action against a petitioner who filed 1,600 complaints against 23 public officials at the ministry. It was confirmed that the petitioner proposed to withdraw the criminal complaints on the condition that a skincare patent held by the petitioner be recognized.
The ministry said that due to malicious petitions, public officials' mental stress and administrative gaps had become so serious that it decided to consider filing accusations at the institutional level.
◇ Malicious petitioners require organizational-level responses
However, on the ground, many say countersuits are still not easy. That is because affiliated institutions often respond passively.
Under the civil petition handling act revised in 2024, when complaints, accusations, or damages claims arise between petitioners and those in charge at administrative agencies, the agencies can designate a dedicated department and support attorney retainer fees and litigation expense within budget limits.
Even so, many say the change is not palpable. A public official surnamed Lee, 29, said, "I've never even heard of a litigation support system, so rather than responding individually, many just hold out and wait to be transferred to another department."
A public official surnamed Park, 35, at a basic local government also said, "Rather than responding to malicious petitions with lawsuits, the common response is 'persuade them well,' so there is nothing to do but endure."
The rate of cases that actually lead to punishment is also low. An official at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, "Although complaints against petitioners are increasing, the share that actually leads to punishment was only 10% as of last year." For obstruction of official duties to be established, there must be direct assault or intimidation to the extent that it makes performing duties impossible. That is because repeated accusations alone rarely meet the requirements for criminal punishment.
Lee Yun-ho, a professor in the Department of Police Administration at Dongguk University, said, "Even if you file complaints against malicious petitioners, proving 'intent' is very difficult," adding, "new forms of petitions such as habitual complaints, beyond assault and verbal abuse, are even harder to prove. Responses are needed at the institutional level, not by individual public officials."
According to a survey on "employment conditions of local government public officials" conducted by the Korea Federation of Public Officials' Unions at city, county and district governments nationwide, 74.4% of respondents reported stress from petitions. Of those, 43% said they wanted to leave public service because of malicious petitions.
Lee Gi-haeng, senior vice chair of the Federation of Korean Public Service Workers' Unions, said, "A firm response to malicious petitions is necessary," adding, "society needs to foster an atmosphere where public officials who quietly serve in public office are not treated carelessly."