"Not All Teachers Want to Participate in the Survey"…Appeal from Seoicho Bereaved Families

Cousin A Shares Thoughts on Blog
"Parents Causing Issues, Only Necessary Investigations"

Regarding the death of a teacher at Seoi Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, the bereaved family expressed that they "do not want all the innocent teachers at Seoi Elementary School to be summoned to the police station."

B, who identified himself as the cousin older brother of the deceased teacher A, stated on his blog on the 27th, "We want a thorough investigation only into the specific parents and related parties who caused problems and inflicted pain on my younger brother, other students, and other teachers," adding, "We do not want all parents to be called in for a full investigation."

B said, "My younger brother liked and respected many fellow teachers. Photos taken with fellow teachers are attached to the window by the head of his bed at home," and added, "I hope that, depending on the investigation, consent is sought from those who are truly necessary or close, and only those individuals are carefully called and investigated. Please do not make them suffer more than necessary."

On the afternoon of the 20th, memorial messages were posted in front of Seoi Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where a new teacher made an extreme choice.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also said, "When my younger brother talked at a cafe during his lifetime, he expressed gratitude while talking about the parents who supported and cheered for him," and "Many parents were also strong allies to my younger brother."

B said, "As shown in my younger brother’s records, he was troubled not only by his own problems but also whenever he saw his colleagues in difficult situations, as if it were his own matter. He was always anxious and distressed, saying that such things could happen to him at any time."

He explained, "On the day of the incident, my younger brother was alone in the classroom from 1:30 p.m., carrying out and reporting the tasks he had to do, completing the class journal, and finishing all the work he had to do until the very end."

He added, "I hope that the information I have investigated and found does not differ from the police’s announcement," and "Please conduct a thorough investigation without obscuring the essence of the incident, and clarify why my younger brother had no choice but to make an extreme decision in the preparation room inside the classroom, which is about one pyeong (approximately 3.3 square meters) in size."

Finally, B posted a photo presumed to be of A during his lifetime and wrote, "I will not give up."

The Seocho Police Station, which is investigating A’s death case, announced that it plans to conduct witness investigations on all 60 teachers working at the same school as A.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed that A had requested work-related counseling from the school 10 times from last year until July of this year. According to data received by Rep. Jeong Gyeong-hee of the People Power Party from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, A applied for three counseling sessions just this month before taking his own life.

Two of the cases were related to an incident where a student in A’s homeroom class drew on another student’s forehead with a pencil. At that time, A reported the incident to the school, arranged a meeting between the parents of both sides, and mediated. However, complaints from parents continued afterward, and it was understood that A felt distressed about this.

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