The Seoul High Court on Thursday upheld the conviction of Seoul's top education official Cho Hee-yeon, as he was indicted for a controversial reinstatement of dismissed teachers in 2018.

The appellate court confirmed a lower court's prison sentence of one and a half years, suspended for two years.

Cho was indicted for abusing his power in reinstating five dismissed teachers, including former members of a teachers' labor union in 2018.

Seoul's education chief is expected to lose his job as his conviction was confirmed by the court and by law an education official with a conviction of imprisonment is subject to dismissal.