School violence series, part 4: A teacher's perspective

[Series concept]

A punitive turn in South Korea's school violence regime has pushed classrooms into a ruthless survival game. As even trivial disputes are automatically referred to school violence committees, the number of hearings has surged — yet the most common outcome is a finding of "not school violence," leaving classrooms stripped of their ability to self-correct. Caught in a proxy legal war waged by parents desperate to protect their children's university admissions records, students have learned to collect evidence of wrongdoing rather than offer apologies. This series examines the structural contradictions of a system that has lost sight of victim protection and sunk into judicialization, told through four conflicting perspectives: parents, lawyers, teachers and students.

A teacher in distress over the risk of being reported for child abuse. [Image generated with ChatGPT]
A teacher in distress over the risk of being reported for child abuse. [Image generated with ChatGPT]

By Kim Yong-jae, The Herald Business

"Who are you to decide my child did something wrong? I'm reporting you for child abuse."

Jung, an elementary school teacher who has served as a dedicated school violence coordinator for eight years, said the threat of a child abuse report is the phrase teachers hear most often when a school violence incident occurs. In the past, homeroom teachers would verify the facts and guide students toward reconciliation when conflicts arose. The classroom of 2026 looks nothing like that.

Teachers are weighed down by the fear that giving weight to either side's account could make them a target for malicious complaints or child abuse reports. Parents who file school violence reports expect the school to intervene more actively, but teachers on the ground say the opposite happens. The moment a report is filed, the teacher stops being an agent of conflict resolution and becomes a procedural functionary.

"If a teacher tries to mediate independently, they bear all the responsibility — but if they go through the school violence committee process, at least they have a shield showing they followed the rules," Jung said. "The structure doesn't mobilize teachers when a school violence report comes in. It makes them step back."

'Nobody wants the school violence job — even at double the pay'

A growing number of teachers are turning to procedural compliance rather than educational mediation to avoid bearing responsibility. When a school violence report lands, it marks the start of a separate ordeal for the teacher.

Kim, an elementary school teacher with 17 years of experience, said it is not uncommon for parents of accused students to show up and grab teachers by the collar, invoke accusations of coercive interrogation or threaten to tip off the media. "School violence duty is the number-one job everyone avoids — even if you doubled the pay," he said.

The mechanical execution of procedures stems from what teachers describe as an administrative quagmire. Before a school violence deliberation committee can convene, teachers must file an initial report within 48 hours of receiving the case, verify the facts, secure supporting evidence and submit a report to the district education office — a process involving dozens of documents.

"For the committee paperwork, you have to write down every single move the children made, without missing anything," Kim said. "When you're drafting affidavit-style documents until the early hours of the morning, you start to lose track of whether you're a teacher or a criminal investigator." He laughed as he said it.

'Something a teacher would have handled with a word — now it all goes through official channels'

Teachers on the ground worry the current structure is sending the wrong message to students as well. When conflicts arise between students, a culture is taking hold in which filing reports and collecting evidence comes before dialogue, mediation and apology. Teachers agree that even minor arguments or pranks are increasingly being funneled into the formal school violence process at parents' insistence.

The number of cases referred to school violence committees that ultimately received a finding of "not school violence" more than tripled, rising from 1,669 in 2021 to 5,246 in 2024. Trivial arguments and pranks that fall short of meaningful violence are being pushed indiscriminately through official channels, draining teachers' administrative capacity in the process.

Park Jeong-woo, a teacher who previously handled school violence cases, recalled a complaint in which a parent demanded a school violence report because a classmate had made a loud noise during class. "Things that a homeroom teacher would have handled with a word of guidance are now all heading toward official procedures," he said.

The reality on the ground contradicts parents' expectation that more school violence reports will lead to more active teacher involvement. Instead, teachers choose the committee process to avoid complaints, and students end up learning to file reports before they learn to talk things out or repair relationships.


brunch@heraldcorp.com