Large Rally Ahead of 'Seoicho Teacher 49th Memorial'... "Demanding Amendments to Child Welfare Act and More"

On July 4, two days before the 49th-day memorial service for the Seoicho elementary school teacher who died by suicide on July 19, teachers from across the country gathered in front of the National Assembly building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, at the '500,000 Teachers' General Rally Memorial Assembly' held on Gukhoe-daero in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, graduate school classmates of Seo I-cho, a teacher who passed away last July, are speaking on the podium.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 2nd, around 2 p.m., teachers held a "500,000 Teachers' General Rally Memorial Meeting" near the National Assembly on Gukhoe-daero. According to the organizers, more than 200,000 teachers from across the country participated, with about 800 buses (including unofficial charters) and airplanes mobilized for their transportation.

The event host said, "Despite 5,000 teachers gathering every week this hot summer without fail to talk about teachers' right to survive until it reaches 200,000, we have lost two colleagues again," referring to the recent incidents where elementary school teachers in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and Gunsan, Jeonbuk Province, took their own lives. He continued, "Reducing teachers' deaths to personal issues is no different from seven weeks ago," adding, "It has been about 40 days since the Seoicho incident became known, so what exactly are the administrators, Ministry of Education, local education offices, and the National Assembly doing?"

A teacher who identified as a former colleague of the Seoicho teacher took the stage and said, "We have been gathering for seven weeks, demanding a thorough investigation and normalization of public education, but I am angry and frustrated by the lack of sincerity in legislative amendments."

The teachers also criticized the Ministry of Education for threatening strict action against any illegal activities if collective action is taken after the temporary closure on the 49th-day memorial service of the Seoicho teacher on the 4th. A seventh-year teacher from the Gyeonggi region questioned from the podium, "Who is it that truly did not follow the law and principles?" emphasizing, "Mourning and commemorating the deaths of teachers who died while abiding by the law and principles is the law and principle among fellow teachers."

Earlier, the Ministry of Education announced that school principals who enforce temporary closures on the 4th or teachers who take leave without special reasons on that day could face disciplinary actions up to dismissal or removal and could be subject to criminal charges.

On this day, the teachers announced a policy demand containing eight items, including amendments to the Child Welfare Act, strengthening accountability of students, parents, and education authorities, guaranteeing the educational rights of separated students, establishing a unified complaint handling system, and mandating teacher participation in the process of education-related legislation and policy promotion.

They particularly demanded the amendment of Article 17-5 of the Child Welfare Act, which prohibits emotional abuse that harms children's mental health and development. They argued that the broad application of emotional abuse leads to teachers' legitimate educational activities being indiscriminately reported as child abuse.

Meanwhile, the teachers plan to hold a large-scale memorial rally on the 4th, designated as the "Day to Stop Public Education."

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