"Afraid of Becoming Child Abusers, Unable to Discipline" Foreign Media Highlights Violation of Teachers' Rights in Korea

"Reform Needed in the Overall Education System"

On the 4th, marking the 49th day memorial service for the deceased teacher at Seo-i Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, a nationwide 'Day of Stopping Public Education' memorial rally was held, while a foreign media outlet highlighted the reality of teacher rights violations in Korea.

On that day, the British BBC broadcast published an article titled "Parents' harassment revealed due to teachers' suicides in Korea," stating about the Seo-i Elementary School incident, "This tragedy sparked a wave of anger among elementary school teachers across Korea," and "tens of thousands of teachers have protested in Seoul over the past six weeks."

On the 49th day memorial of a teacher who passed away at an elementary school in Seocho-gu, Seoul, a classroom at an elementary school in Sejong City was empty on the 4th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Furthermore, teachers diagnosed the situation as "being afraid of being called child abusers, they cannot discipline students or intervene among fighting children." They pointed out that since the enactment of the Child Abuse Punishment Act in 2014, restraining violent children in classrooms has been reported as child abuse, and harsh scolding has been stigmatized as emotional abuse.

BBC analyzed, "Behind this culture is Korea's hyper-competitive society where everything depends on academic success," adding, "Students fiercely compete from a very young age to eventually enter prestigious universities."

Professor Kim Bong-je of Seoul National University of Education noted that traditionally, Korea had a strong culture of respecting teachers, but as the national economy rapidly grew, many parents received higher education. Professor Kim told BBC, "This means that disrespect towards teachers has often occurred," and "Parents think that they pay teachers' salaries with the taxes they pay."

BBC paid attention to the sensational popularity of the drama 'The Glory,' which deals with school violence, pointing out that bullying and violence among students are major issues. It emphasized, "In Korea, not only have classrooms collapsed, but there are many voices calling for reform of the overall education system."

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