Bereaved Family of Deceased Yongin Teacher "34 Years of Pride Shattered"... Shocked by Lawsuit

Student Accident During Class While Teacher Was Absent Due to Stomachache
Great Stress from Education Office Audit and Police Complaint
Recently Said "I Don't Want to Live"

"He felt as if the pride from 34 years of teaching had been shattered. The sense of self-loathing was overwhelming..."

Mr. A, a high school teacher in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi Province, who was found dead on the 3rd with one year left until retirement, reportedly expressed extreme stress due to complaints from parents and subsequent police accusations during his lifetime.

According to Yonhap News on the 4th, Mr. A's bereaved family said at a funeral hall in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi Province, "He often said 'I don't want to live' recently because of conflicts with parents."

Mr. A in front of the school where he worked
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Mr. A's family stated, "After he left the house on Saturday morning, we couldn't reach him, so we reported him missing the next day, only to be informed by the police of his death. With only one year left until retirement, we encouraged him to think about the good years he had in teaching and to overcome it, so it is very heartbreaking that he made this decision."

They added, "It seems the shock was very great for him to have to report and undergo a police investigation."

Around June, while Mr. A, a physical education teacher, was absent from class, a student was hit in the eye area by a ball kicked by another student. The injured student reportedly sustained injuries severe enough to require surgery.

The school issued a "warning" to Mr. A regarding this incident.

However, the injured student's parents disagreed and requested an audit and disciplinary action against Mr. A from the education office, and the audit process was confirmed to be ongoing until recently.

The injured student's parents also filed a police complaint against Mr. A on charges of professional negligence causing injury. The police had been coordinating Mr. A's attendance for questioning until recently, but he was found dead before the formal investigation took place.

It was reported that Mr. A was absent from class due to a stomachache at the time of the accident.

Mr. A's family said, "Even though it was due to a stomachache, he felt a lot of guilt about the accident occurring while he was away. After learning about the criminal case, his psychological distress seemed to worsen. We do not think that his leaving the class was right, and he was willing to take responsibility for it, but we feel this is excessive."

They continued, "Despite his age, he made great efforts to adapt to the changing educational trends centered on student rights." They added, "We thought he was a very good teacher in that regard, so it is very unfortunate that he had to go through such an incident..."

Earlier, Mr. A was found dead around 10:35 a.m. on the 3rd near the entrance of the Cheonggyesan hiking trail in Unjung-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si. The suicide note found at the scene contained messages to his family but no content that would clearly explain the reason for his extreme choice.

The police plan to investigate the circumstances leading to Mr. A's suicide based on call records, photos, and documents stored on the mobile phone he had at the time of death.

Meanwhile, dozens of floral tributes sent by citizens and fellow teachers were placed in front of the main gate of the school where Mr. A worked, with notes expressing condolences attached.

※ If you or someone around you is struggling with difficult feelings such as depression, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through the Suicide Prevention Hotline ☎1393, Mental Health Counseling ☎1577-0199, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, Youth Hotline ☎1388, the youth mobile counseling app 'Da Deureojul Gae,' KakaoTalk, and other services.

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