'Ulsan Teacher Doing Laundry of Underwear' Dismissed by Disciplinary Committee

Violation Reasons Including Duty to Maintain Dignity, Prohibition of Profit-Making Work and Concurrent Positions
Police Investigation Also Underway

On the 13th, a press conference accusing a teacher from an elementary school in Ulsan, hosted by 'Mothers Who Do Politics,' was held in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] The Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education has decided to dismiss a first-grade homeroom teacher at an elementary school in Ulsan, who sparked controversy by assigning homework such as 'underwear laundry' to students and posting sexually explicit comments on social network service (SNS) accounts.

On the morning of the 29th, the Office of Education held a general disciplinary committee meeting for educational officials and decided to dismiss Teacher A. Unlike dismissal, which allows receiving full pension and allowances, dismissal with loss of position permits only 50% of both.

The reasons for disciplining Teacher A include △ inappropriate language and behavior toward students and fellow teachers △ posting content damaging the dignity of teachers on SNS △ violation of work guidelines related to teachers' YouTube activities △ violation of prohibition on profit-making activities and concurrent positions.

The disciplinary committee judged that Teacher A's actions violated Articles 63 ('Duty to Maintain Dignity') and 64 ('Prohibition of Profit-making Activities and Concurrent Positions') of the National Public Officials Act.

Meanwhile, Teacher A may file an appeal with the Teacher Appeal Review Committee. If the appeal is dismissed, an administrative lawsuit can be filed.

Teacher A, who attended the disciplinary committee with a lawyer that day, reportedly left the Office of Education without responding to reporters' questions asking if there was anything to say.

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, a petition titled "Please dismiss the male teacher who sexually harassed a first-grade elementary school student in Ulsan by assigning homework such as underwear laundry" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board, sparking the controversy surrounding Teacher A.

According to the petition, Teacher A assigned students homework to wash underwear and take photos to upload, and made sexually controversial remarks about student photos. The petition received over 225,000 signatures as of the closing date on the 28th.

As the controversy spread, the Office of Education suspended Teacher A from duty and reported him to the police. The Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency is conducting related investigations, including summoning and questioning Teacher A.

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