Workbear재주넘는곰
대법원 87누657

Revocation of Dismissal Disposition and Revocation of Grievance Review Decision해임처분취소,고충심사결정취소

Decided1987. 12. 08. Court대법원Employer (Government) Won
AI-generated English translation (summary, key points, decision summary and full text) for reference only — not an official translation and without legal effect. The Korean original below is authoritative.
AI Easy read — AI summary of this decision
AI-generated summary for reference only — the Korean original below is authoritative.

A local government employee (지방공무원) was dismissed (해임처분) for repeatedly filing meritless lawsuits and leaving his workplace without authorization. The Supreme Court held that even the exercise of fundamental rights, such as the right to file lawsuits, can constitute an act damaging the dignity of public office (품위손상) if carried out excessively beyond socially acceptable limits. The Court also ruled that leaving one's workplace before annual leave (연가) is officially approved constitutes valid grounds for disciplinary action (징계사유), and that a grievance review decision (고충심사결정) does not qualify as an administrative disposition subject to judicial review.

Key takeaways
  • CaseA local government employee was dismissed after repeatedly filing meritless lawsuits and leaving his workplace without authorization before his annual leave was approved.
  • OutcomeThe Supreme Court upheld the dismissal, ruling that excessive exercise of fundamental rights can damage the dignity of public service, and that leaving work before leave approval is legitimate grounds for discipline.
  • LessonPublic employees must exercise fundamental rights, such as the right to litigate, within socially reasonable limits, and must always obtain prior approval before taking annual leave (연가).
Issues
  • Whether the exercise of fundamental rights (e.g., filing lawsuits) can constitute a violation of the duty to maintain dignity (품위유지의무) when done excessively
  • Whether leaving the workplace before annual leave is officially approved constitutes valid grounds for disciplinary action
  • Whether a grievance review decision (고충심사결정) qualifies as an administrative disposition subject to judicial review
Key reasoning

The Court reasoned that while public employees, like all citizens, have fundamental rights including the right to access courts, the exercise of such rights loses legal protection when it goes beyond what is socially reasonable and becomes an abuse. In this case, the employee's repeated filing of frivolous or vexatious lawsuits was found to exceed the bounds of legitimate rights exercise and thus constituted conduct damaging the dignity and honor expected of a public servant. Additionally, the Court clarified that an employee who leaves the workplace without first obtaining approval for annual leave—rather than waiting for the leave request to be granted—has committed an unauthorized absence that justifies disciplinary action, regardless of whether the leave would likely have been approved. Finally, the Court held that a decision on an internal grievance review (고충심사) merely provides an internal remedy process and does not directly create, alter, or extinguish legal rights or obligations, and therefore cannot itself be challenged as an administrative disposition in court.

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

[1]
The term "dignity" under Article 55 of the Local Public Officials Act (지방공무원법) refers to a character that is not unbecoming of one who holds and performs the duties entrusted by the sovereign people. Therefore, even if a public official has performed an act exercising a fundamental right guaranteed to all citizens, if the degree of exercise of that right is so excessive as to deviate from the social significance for which the right was recognized, and is judged to be an undesirable act from the standpoint of the sovereign people, such an act of the public official constitutes an act that damages his or her dignity.

[2]
Even where a public official has filed a request for annual leave within the statutory number of annual leave days, and even though it is provided that the head of the administrative agency shall grant such a request for leave unless there is a particular impediment to the performance of official duties, an act of leaving one's post before permission for such leave request has been granted constitutes an act in violation of Article 50, Paragraph 1 of the Local Public Officials Act (지방공무원법) and constitutes grounds for disciplinary action.

[3]
The grievance review system provided for in Article 67-2 of the Local Public Officials Act (지방공무원법) is a system designed to guarantee the rights and interests of public officials and to create appropriate working environments, by allowing them to request the appointing authority to take corrective and improvement measures regarding working conditions, personnel management, or other matters concerning their status, not through the procedure of legal dispute but through a de facto procedure. Since the decision on a grievance review does not, by itself, directly cause any change in a legal relationship or any infringement of interests, a decision on a grievance review cannot be deemed an administrative disposition subject to administrative litigation.

Full text (English, AI translation) 6,545 chars

[Plaintiff, Appellant]

[Defendant, Appellee] Mayor of Chungju City

[Lower Court Judgment]

Seoul High Court, Judgment rendered June 10, 1987, Case No. 86Gu548, 589

[Order]

The appeal is dismissed.
The costs of the appeal are borne by the Plaintiff.

[Reasoning]

The grounds of appeal are examined.

1.
Article 55 of the Local Public Officials Act (지방공무원법) provides that a public official shall not engage in conduct that damages his or her dignity. Here, "dignity" refers to a character befitting a person who has undertaken and is carrying out the duties entrusted by the sovereign people. Therefore, even where a public official has exercised a fundamental right guaranteed to all citizens, if the degree of exercise of that right exceeds the social significance for which the right was recognized, to the extent that it is judged, from the standpoint of the sovereign people, to be undesirable conduct, such conduct by the public official constitutes conduct that damages his or her dignity.

According to the reasoning of the judgment below, the court below found the following facts: the Plaintiff, while serving at the Nam-gu Office of Busan Directly Governed City, was dismissed from office effective April 15, 1975; the Plaintiff filed an administrative litigation seeking revocation of the dismissal disposition, and the judgment against the Plaintiff became final; nevertheless, without accepting that outcome, the Plaintiff did not cease litigating the same matter; even after being reappointed as a local public official of Chungju City on July 5, 1981, the Plaintiff continued to repeat futile litigation until around the end of 1985, and in a total of seven lawsuits, judgments against the Plaintiff were rendered in every instance. Having found these facts, the court below determined that the Plaintiff's aforesaid conduct was sufficient to be regarded as damaging his dignity as a public official. In light of the legal principles set forth above, the determination of the court below is justified, and there is no illegality therein such as violation of the Constitution or statutes, or contradictory reasoning, as pointed out in the grounds of appeal.

2.
Even where a public official has applied for annual leave within the statutory number of annual leave days and, with respect to such application, the head of the administrative agency is required to grant the leave unless there is a particular impediment to the performance of official duties, conduct in which the official leaves the workplace before such leave application has been approved constitutes conduct in violation of Article 50, Paragraph 1 of the Local Public Officials Act and constitutes grounds for disciplinary action. Moreover, the fact that leaving the workplace during night duty was for the purpose of having dinner cannot constitute a justifiable reason for leaving the workplace. The determination of the court below to the same effect is justified, and there is no error in the misapprehension of legal principles therein.

3. According to the reasoning of the judgment below, the court below, based on the evidence cited, found that the Defendant City's Personnel Committee notified the Plaintiff on January 25, 1986 to appear before the Personnel Committee meeting to be held at 14:00 on January 29, 1986 to discuss the disciplinary matter concerning the Plaintiff, that the Plaintiff received the notice of attendance, and moreover that the Defendant had, around 13:20 on January 29, 1986, sent an employee to visit the Plaintiff and urge his attendance. Based on these findings, the court below rejected the Plaintiff's argument that the Defendant, in taking the disciplinary action at issue in this case, failed to give the Plaintiff an opportunity to appear before the Personnel Committee and make statements. Upon examination of the record, the fact-finding and determination of the court below are justified, and there is no illegality therein such as misapprehension of facts or omission of judgment as asserted in the grounds of appeal.

4. The court below, on the premise that whether the degree of disciplinary action exceeds the bounds of discretion must be determined by comprehensively considering the facts constituting grounds for discipline together with the administrative purpose sought to be achieved by the discipline and all attendant circumstances, determined, taking into account the Plaintiff's ordinary attitude toward his duties, that dismissing the Plaintiff from office on the basis of the aforesaid grounds for discipline appears to be appropriate, and thus rejected the Plaintiff's argument that the disciplinary action at issue in this case departed from the bounds of discretion. Upon examination of the record, the above determination of the court below is deemed justified, and there is no illegality therein such as misapprehension of legal principles or omission of judgment as asserted in the grounds of appeal.

5.
The grievance review system provided for in Article 67-2 of the Local Public Officials Act is a system designed to guarantee the rights and interests of public officials and to create appropriate working environments, whereby a public official may request the appointing authority to devise measures for correction and improvement, through de facto procedures rather than through legal litigation procedures, with respect to working conditions, personnel management, or other matters concerning the official's status. Upon receiving such a request, the appointing authority refers the matter to the Personnel Committee for review, or has an official of the relevant agency consult with the requesting official, and is to endeavor to resolve the grievance and otherwise handle it fairly based on the outcome. However, since the grievance review decision itself does not directly bring about any change in legal relations or any infringement of interests, a grievance review decision cannot be regarded as an administrative disposition subject to administrative litigation. The determination of the court below to the same effect is justified, and the argument attacking the judgment below from the opposite viewpoint is without merit.

Accordingly, since all the grounds of appeal are without merit, the appeal is dismissed, and the costs of the appeal are to be borne by the Plaintiff, who has lost the case. This judgment is rendered as stated in the Order, upon the unanimous opinion of the Justices participating.

Justice Lee Jun-seung (Presiding Justice), Kim Hyeong-gi, Park Woo-dong

【판결요지】

가. 지방공무원법 제55조에서의 '품위'라 함은 주권자인 국민의 수임자로서의 직책을 맡아 수행해 나가기에 손색이 없는 인품을 말하는 것이므로 공무원이 모든 국민에게 보장된 기본권을 행사하는 행위를 하였다 할지라도 그 권리행사의 정도가 권리를 인정한 사회적 의의를 벗어날 정도로 지나쳐 주권자인 국민의 입장에서 보아 바람직스럽지 못한 행위라고 판단되는경우라면 공무원의 그와 같은 행위는 그 품위를 손상하는 행위에 해당한다 할 것이다.

나. 공무원이 법정연가일수의 범위내에서 연가신청을 하였고 그와 같은 연가신청에 대하여 행정기관의 장은 공무수행상 특별한 지장이 없는 한 이를 허가하여야 한다고 되어 있더라도 그 연가신청에 대한 허가도 있기 전에 근무지를 이탈한 행위는 지방공무원법 제50조 제1항에 위반되는 행위로서 징계사유가 된다.

다. 지방공무원법 제67조의2에서 규정하고 있는 고충심사제도는 공무원으로서의 권익을 보장하고 적정한 근무환경을 조성하여 주기 위하여 근무조건 또는 인사관리 기타 신상문제에 대하여 법률적인 쟁송의 절차에 의하여서가 아니라 사실상의 절차에 의하여 그 시정과 개선책을 청구하여 줄 것을 임용권자에게 청구할 수 있도록 한 제도로서, 고충심사결정 자체에 의하여는 어떠한 법률관계의 변동이나 이익의 침해가 직접적으로 생기는 것은 아니므로 고충심사의 결정은 행정상 쟁송의 대상이 되는 행정처분이라고 할 수 없다.

【참조조문】

지방공무원법 제55조 , 제50조 제1항 , 제67조의2, 행정소송법 제2조

【주문】·【이유】 전문 2,411자 · 펼쳐 보기

【원고, 상고인】

【피고, 피상고인】 충주시장

【원심판결】 서울고등법원 1987.6.10 선고 86구548,589 판결

【주 문】

상고를 기각한다.

상고비용은 원고의 부담으로 한다.

【이 유】 상고이유를 판단한다.

1. 지방공무원법 제55조는, 공무원은 그 품위를 손상하는 행위를 하여서는 아니된다고 규정하고 있는 바, 여기에서의 품위라 함은 주권자인 국민의 수임자로서의 직책을 맡아 수행해 나가기에 손색이 없는 인품을 말하는 것이므로 공무원이 모든 국민에게 보장된 기본권을 행사하는 행위를 하였다 할지라도 그 권리행사의 정도가 권리를 인정한 사회적 의의를 벗어날 정도로 지나쳐 주권자인 국민의 입장에서 보아 바람직스럽지 못한 행위라고 판단되는 경우라면 공무원의 그와 같은 행위는 그 품위를 손상하는 행위에 해당한다고 할 것이다.

원심판결 이유에 의하면, 원심은 부산직할시 남구청에 재직 중 1975.4.15자로 파면처분을 당한 바 있던 원고가 위 파면처분의 취소를 구하는 행정소송을 제기하여 그 패소의 판결이 확정되었음에도 불구하고 이에 승복함이 없이 동일한 사안에 관한 쟁송을 그치지 아니하다가 1981.7.5 충주시 지방공무원으로 다시 임용된 이후에도 1985. 말경까지 부질없는 소송을 되풀이 하여 전후 7차례에 걸친 소송에서 모두 패소의 판결을 선고받은 사실을 확정한 후 원고의 위와 같은 행위는 공무원으로서의 품위를 손상한 것으로 보기에 충분하다고 판단하고 있는 바, 원심의 위 판단은 위에서 설시한 법리에 비추어 보아 정당하고 거기에 논지가 지적하는 바와 같은 헌법, 법률위반이나 이유모순 등의 위법이 있다고 할 수 없다.

2. 공무원이 그 법정연가일수의 범위내에서 연가신청을 하였고 그와 같은 연가신청에 대하여 행정기관의 장은 공무수행상 특별한 지장이 없는 한 이를 허가하여야 한다고 되어 있다 하더라도 그 연가신청에 대한 허가가 있기도 전에 근무지를 이탈한 행위는 지방공무원법 제50조 제1항에 위반되는 행위로서 징계사유가 된다고 할 것이고 , 당직근무 중 그 근무지를 이탈한 것이 저녁식사를 위한 것이었다는 사정은 근무지 이탈에 대한 정당한 사유가 된다고 할수 없다 할 것인 바 같은 취지의 원심판단은 정당하고 거기에 어떠한 법리오해가 있다고도 할 수 없다.

3. 원심판결 이유에 의하면, 원심은 그 거시의 증거에 의하여 피고시 인사위원회가 1986.1.25 원고에게 1986.1.29. 14:00에 원고에 대한 징계사항을 논의하기 위하여 개최되는 인사위원회에 출석할 것을 통지하여 원고가 그 출석통지서를 수령하였고 더우기 피고가 1986.1.29. 13:20경 그 직원으로 하여금 원고를 방문하여 그 출석을 종용하기까지 한 사실을 인정한 후 피고가 이 사건 징계처분을 함에 있어서 원고에게 인사위원회에 출석하여 진술한 기회를 주지 않았다는 원고의 주장을 배척하고 있는 바, 기록에 의하여 검토하여 보면 원심의 위 사실인정과 판단은 정당하고 거기에 논지가 들고 있는 바와 같은 사실오인이나 판단유탈의 위법이 있다고 할 수 없다.

4. 원심은 징계의 정도가 그 재량권의 범위를 넘는가의 여부는 징계의 사유가 된 사실과 아울러 징계에 의하여 달하려는 행정목적과 이에 수반되는 제반사정을 종합하여 판단하여야 한다는 전제하에 원고의 평소 복무자세를 감안하여 보면 위 징계사유를 들어 원고를 해임에 처한 것은 적절한 것으로 보여진다고 판단하여 이 사건 징계처분이 재량권을 일탈한 것이라는 원고의 주장을 배척하고 있는 바, 원심의 위와 같은 판단은 기록에 비추어 보아 정당한것으로 시인되고 거기에 논지가 들고 있는 바와 같은 법리오해나 판단유탈 등의 위법이 있다고 할 수 없다.

5. 지방공무원법 제67조의2에서 규정하고 있는 고충심사제도는 공무원의 권익을 보장하고 적정한 근무환경을 조성하여 주기 위하여 근무조건 또는 인사관리 기타 신상문제에 대하여 법률적인 쟁송의 절차에 의하여서가 아니라 사실상의 절차에 의하여 그 시정과 개선책을 강구하여 줄 것을 임용권자에게 청구할 수 있도록 한 제도로서, 그 청구를 받은 임용권자는 이를 인사위원회에 부의하여 심사하게 하거나 소속공무원으로 하여금 상담하게 하고 그 결과에 따라 고충의 해소 등 공정한 처리를 위하여 노력하도록 되어 있기는 하나 고충심사결정 자체에 의하여는 어떠한 법률관계의 변동이나 이익의 침해가 직접적으로 생기는 것은 아니므로 고충심사결정은 행정상 쟁송의 대상이 되는 행정처분이라고 할 수 없다할 것인바 , 같은 취지의 원심판단은 정당하고 반대의 견해에서 원심판결을 공격하는 논지는 이유없다.

따라서 상고논지는 모두 이유없으므로 상고를 기각하고, 상고비용은 패소자인 원고의 부담으로 하여 관여법관의 일치된 의견으로 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 이준승(재판장) 김형기 박우동

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