"Students cannot be safe if teachers cannot teach with peace of mind!" "Amend child abuse-related laws immediately!"
Three major educator organizations gathered in front of the National Assembly in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday, ahead of the third anniversary of the death of a teacher at Seocho-gu's Seo Elementary School — which falls on Saturday — calling for legislative reforms to protect teaching activities.
Representatives of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union, the Korean Federation of Teachers' Unions and the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations held a press conference on the steps in front of the main National Assembly building, saying "the law has changed, but the classroom reality — where teachers live in fear of complaints and reports — has not," and called for follow-up legislation from the government and the National Assembly.
People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Seong-guk, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Baek Seung-a, Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Kang Gyeong-suk, Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education Ahn Min-seok and Incheon Superintendent of Education Do Seong-hun also attended the press conference.
Following the 2023 death of the Seo Elementary School teacher, a set of five laws known as the "teacher rights protection package" was enacted, improving the legal foundation for protecting educators. But teachers on the ground said they still hesitate to actively guide students out of fear of being reported and investigated. A survey by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union found that 80.8 percent of respondents said they constantly feel anxiety about being reported for child abuse. In a separate survey by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, 80.5 percent of responding teachers said they had experienced violations of their professional rights by students or parents over the past year.
The Seo Elementary School teacher death case: In July 2023, a first-grade homeroom teacher at Seo Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, was found dead inside the school. Educator groups alleged the teacher had been subjected to persistent malicious complaints from some parents. Police closed the case in November of that year, saying they found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing related to allegations of gapjil by parents. The incident sparked a surge in public support for protecting teacher rights, prompting the government to introduce a series of protective measures for educators.
The educator groups said false and retaliatory reports are being filed indiscriminately. Many appear to be made on a "throw it at the wall and see what sticks" basis, with most cases ultimately finding no actual wrongdoing.
According to Ministry of Education statistics cited by the groups, 1,870 child abuse reports were filed against teachers at kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools nationwide between September 2023 and February this year. Of those, regional education offices submitted opinions classifying 1,352 cases — 72 percent — as legitimate teaching activities. Among closed cases, 90.4 percent ended in findings of no wrongdoing or decisions not to indict. Even when teachers ultimately avoid criminal punishment, being the subject of a report exposes them to severe psychological stress.
The three groups called for "teaching immunity" to be explicitly enshrined in law, and for the concept of emotional abuse under the Child Welfare Act to be defined more precisely. They said a stronger framework for protecting teacher rights is needed to prevent legitimate student guidance and instruction from being drawn into child abuse disputes.
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Baek Seung-a said, "When a teacher's educational judgment — made in order to properly teach a student — becomes the subject of a child abuse report, and an investigation and trial begin, the teacher in effect has to endure the entire process alone."
Gyeonggi Province Superintendent Ahn urged legislative reform, saying, "If teachers and schools across the entire country are suffering from malicious complaints, this is not a problem of individuals or a few schools — it is a problem of structure and law," and adding that "teachers have until now borne alone the suffering caused by flawed laws and structures."
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