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Police likely to investigate teacher who told class that childless women should go to jail

Published: 22 Apr. 2025, 20:02

An empty classroom of a middle school in Daegu [YONHAP]

A male teacher at a girls’ high school in Incheon who told students during class that women of childbearing age who don't give birth should be sent to prison will likely face a police investigation.

According to the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education on Tuesday, the school determined that the teacher's remarks could constitute child abuse and plans to request a police probe.

During a meeting presided over by the deputy superintendent, the office concluded that the teacher's comments may fall under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes. It will refer the case to the police through the school and conduct an internal audit to investigate the motivation behind the remarks and whether the teacher violated professional conduct rules.

“In addition to the police request, multiple departments are conducting investigations,” an official from the education office said. “We will also establish measures to prevent a recurrence.”

A post was uploaded on Sunday on the social media platform X that included a roughly two-minute audio record, which the user claimed was of a teacher at a girls’ high school in Incheon who said during a lesson that women who do not give birth should be sent to prison.

In the recording, the teacher criticized a ruling by the Constitutional Court that made it unconstitutional for the government to give preferential treatment to men who fulfill their military duties, saying, “I believe that’s the worst decision I know of.”

“Men go to prison if they don’t serve in the military, but women have never been imprisoned for not giving birth,” he said.

“Childbirth isn’t considered an obligation," the teacher went on. "Isn’t that why Korea’s fertility rate has dropped to 0.67?

“Women of childbearing age who don’t give birth should be imprisoned if we want equality between men and women.”

The remarks were reportedly made during a class titled “Politics and Law” on Thursday. The comments sparked widespread criticism online, with many questioning the teacher’s qualifications.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]