Eight KOICA Overseas Volunteers Dismissed for Sexual Misconduct
Sexual misconduct accounted for more than half of the disciplinary dismissals from South Korea’s state-run overseas volunteer programs between January 2022 and August 2026, prompting calls for stronger screening and supervision.
Eight volunteers serving in overseas programs run by the Korea International Cooperation Agency were dismissed for sexual misconduct over a period of less than five years, according to data submitted to a South Korean lawmaker.
The records showed that KOICA stripped 15 volunteers of their status for breaches of service rules between January 2022 and August 2026. Sexual misconduct accounted for eight of those cases, making it the most common reason for dismissal during the period.
Six of the eight volunteers removed for sexual misconduct had worked in education-related assignments, including Korean-language instruction, computer education and general education. Three had previously participated in KOICA’s overseas volunteer program.
The annual breakdown showed four dismissals for sexual misconduct in 2023, two in 2025 and two in 2026. Other disciplinary grounds included dereliction of duty, leaving an assigned post without authorization, falsifying credentials, verbal abuse and defamation.
The data also described cases involving inappropriate personal remarks. A volunteer sent to Colombia in 2022 was dismissed in April 2024 after making comments about wanting to find a girlfriend in the country and telling another person to sleep at or live at the volunteer’s home.
In another case, a volunteer dispatched to Laos in 2025 repeatedly asked students personal questions unrelated to educational activities, including questions about marriage, dating experience and plans to have children. The volunteer also made remarks suggesting a search for a marriage partner and was dismissed in June 2026.
The findings have renewed scrutiny of how KOICA oversees personnel stationed abroad, where direct and continuous supervision can be more difficult than in a domestic workplace. The agency’s volunteers work in local communities under South Korea’s name, placing their conduct within the broader context of public trust and the country’s international reputation.
Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Ki-heon, who received the agency data, said inappropriate behavior by overseas volunteers should not be treated solely as individual wrongdoing because they interact directly with local residents as representatives of South Korea. He warned that serious violations could damage the country’s credibility and called for strict responses to misconduct.
The figures place particular focus on safeguarding in educational placements, which accounted for most of the sexual-misconduct dismissals. They also raise questions about whether selection, training, reporting channels and field monitoring are sufficient to prevent boundary violations and address complaints quickly in overseas assignments.