[Summary] Teacher Accused of 'Underwear Washing' Appears Before Police... Over 180,000 Support Dismissal Petition

On the 12th, Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency summons teacher A for 'underwear laundry' investigation
"Dismiss teacher A" national petition gains over 180,000 supporters

A homeroom teacher, Mr. A, at an elementary school in Ulsan assigned first-grade students underwear laundry homework last year and then created a related video which was posted on a YouTube channel. Photo by YouTube homepage capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] A teacher at an elementary school in Ulsan, who caused controversy by assigning 'underwear washing' as homework to first-grade students in her class and leaving comments containing sexual expressions, recently appeared at the police station for questioning.

According to multiple media outlets on the 12th, the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency summoned and investigated Teacher A.

The police are investigating whether the homework assigned by Teacher A caused sexual humiliation or emotional abuse, and whether the use of sexually controversial expressions on social media constitutes a violation of the Child Welfare Act punishable by law.

Teacher A previously uploaded videos of students 'washing sexy panties' on YouTube channels, and the controversy intensified as the videos were distributed on adult pornography sites. The police plan to separately investigate whether this violates the Personal Information Protection Act.

This incident came to light after posts related to Teacher A appeared on online communities.

According to an online community, Teacher A assigned first-grade elementary students a 'weekend filial piety homework,' asking them to wash their own panties (underwear laundry) and upload verification photos together.

In response, parents posted photos of their children washing underwear with their own hands on social networking services (SNS), and Teacher A left inappropriate comments such as "Princess shyly cleared," "Pretty underwear, shy shy." It is also known that Teacher A used the expression "sexy" in students' self-introductions.

When the controversy erupted, Teacher A explained in a statement, "What is communication?" and said, "One of the parents in my class filed a complaint, and I received a call from the education office. They said the comments I made seemed like I was evaluating the children based on their appearance, but since they don't know me well, that could be the case."

Despite this, as criticism did not subside, Teacher A expressed her feelings on her private SNS, saying, "This really isn't right," and "No one in Korea should be hurt anymore by anonymous netizens. This pain must end with me. I think I understand why celebrities commit suicide."

The Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education reported Teacher A to 112 and suspended her from all duties, including homeroom teacher responsibilities.

On the 28th of last month, a petition was posted on the Blue House National Petition site requesting the dismissal of Teacher A, who assigned "underwear laundry" homework to first-grade elementary school students in Ulsan and then engaged in inappropriate behavior. Photo by Blue House National Petition capture

Meanwhile, a petition titled "Dismiss the male teacher who assigned underwear washing homework to a first-grade elementary student in Ulsan and sexually harassed the student's photo" posted on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 28th of last month had gained over 184,000 signatures as of 10:50 a.m. on the 12th.

The petitioner emphasized, "Elementary school teachers must be much more sensitive to children's human rights than others, and their gender sensitivity must be exemplary to others," adding, "Only then can schools become safe havens free from violence and sexual harassment, allowing children to have a healthy school life without wounds."

They further pointed out, "If Teacher A remains in the classroom, children will learn without hesitation to sexually evaluate and objectify others, and sexually harass chick-like children whose down feathers have not yet fallen with the word 'sexy,'" and "If this is let slide leniently, I firmly believe Teacher A will become a greater sexual offender, causing irreparable harm to children."

They added, "I hope Teacher A, affiliated with the Ulsan Office of Education, will be dismissed so that all children in this land can live in safe and clean schools without fear of violence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.