A social media post by a teacher claiming to have received Dubai Jjonddeuk Jjonddeuk Cookie (Dujjonku)-which has recently caused a nationwide sell-out frenzy-from a student during the school vacation has sparked controversy over a possible violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, also known as the Kim Young-ran Act.

A teacher's SNS photo receiving 'Dujjonku' from a student. Online community

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The controversial post included a photo of the Dujjonku the teacher received from a student, along with the caption, "Even though it's vacation, precious [student's name] visited the humble teachers' office and dropped off rare Dujjonku."

On January 21, an online community post titled "Filing a Complaint Against a Teacher for Accepting a Bribe During Vacation" appeared. The author, identified as A, shared a teacher's social media post and stated, "The post mentioned a student visiting during vacation and giving a snack. I was unsure if this was legal, so I reported it."

A claimed to have filed a complaint with the Jeollanam-do Office of Education, asserting that the case constituted a violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

According to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, it is fundamentally prohibited for teachers to receive money or gifts from currently enrolled students or their guardians, regardless of the amount. This is because teachers have a direct professional relationship with student evaluation and guidance. However, if the professional relationship has completely ended, such as after graduation, exceptions may be made in accordance with social norms.

Reactions among netizens were split over the issue. Some criticized the report, saying, "It's excessive to legally challenge even small snacks given out of goodwill by students," and "The act of searching for teachers' SNS posts just to report them is a bigger problem."

Others responded, "It's a failure to distinguish between a gift and a bribe." On the other hand, many supported the report, arguing, "Teachers should not accept anything from students, regardless of the amount," "Even if received, posting it on SNS was careless," and "Rules must be followed without exception." Some also pointed out, "Other students might misunderstand if they see this."

Netizens who identified themselves as current teachers commented, "In reality, at schools, there's an atmosphere where not even a single bottle of drink is accepted, even on Teachers' Day," and "Everything except letters is returned." Some added, "While I understand the intent of the law, it is applied too strictly only to frontline teachers," highlighting the gap between the law and reality.

Regardless of whether an individual complaint is investigated, education authorities maintain their existing stance: "Teachers must strictly avoid accepting any gifts from students or parents that could cause misunderstandings."