"Do You Want to Pass Down Poverty?" Student Shocked by Teacher's Verbal Abuse, Taken to 119 Emergency

Student Side Claims "Teachers Know Students' Family Circumstances"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The police have launched an investigation after receiving a report that a physical education teacher at a high school in Incheon verbally abused a student who was 10 minutes late to class by mentioning the student's family circumstances.

According to the Incheon Western Police Station on the 10th, the high school in Seo-gu, Incheon, reported the 50-year-old PE teacher, Mr. A, to the police for investigation on the previous day (the 9th).

The school reportedly filed the report to the police after receiving contact from the Ministry of Education following a post on the Blue House's National Petition Board claiming that Mr. A verbally abused and insulted the character of a 16-year-old student, Mr. B.

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Capture

Earlier, on the 8th, a petition titled "Please punish the teacher who committed character defamation and human rights violations" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.

According to the petition, on the 7th, teacher Mr. A ordered Mr. B, who was about 10 minutes late to PE class, to run around the playground for 20 minutes while verbally abusing him with remarks such as, "Do you want to inherit poverty? Kids like you blame your unfortunate environment," and "How were you raised at home? If you can't study, at least learn a skill."

Mr. B's family claimed that Mr. B, feeling ashamed, took a calming pill in the school infirmary and was consulting with the school nurse when he experienced symptoms such as hyperventilation, wrist paralysis, and high blood pressure, leading to his transport by a 119 ambulance to a hospital for treatment.

They further explained, "Mr. A was aware that Mr. B comes from a single-parent family and lives with his older brother due to financial circumstances, and that he had received financial support from the school last year. Despite this, the teacher insulted the student's character and caused shame by mentioning his family environment and the inheritance of poverty."

Mr. B's family also mentioned an incident during a meeting with Mr. A at the school. According to them, Mr. A, with his arms crossed, said, "I don't think I was wrong. It wasn't loud, so other students probably didn't hear," and added, "I have no intention to apologize and find this absurd."

Mr. B's family stated, "A teacher can guide and caution parents about a student's learning attitude through the homeroom teacher. However, Mr. A mentioned the student's family environment and inherited poverty, causing a situation severe enough to require an ambulance. Since then, Mr. B has been lamenting his situation at home, blaming himself and shedding tears."

They added, "Who will take responsibility for this child's emotional wounds, trauma, and future school life?" and expressed their hope for "a sincere apology and punishment for PE teacher Mr. A."

Meanwhile, a representative from the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education said, "We have excluded Mr. A from teaching to separate him from Mr. B for the time being," and added, "We will take follow-up measures based on the investigation results."

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