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Happy Teachers' Day? Abuse of educators remains troubling.

Published: 08 May. 2025, 14:38 Updated: 08 May. 2025, 18:50

A 17-year-old boy accused of injuring six people, including a teacher and local residents, in a knife rampage inside and outside a high school in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, enters the Cheongju District Court on April 30 for a warrant review. [YONHAP]

As Korea prepares to celebrate Teachers’ Day on May 15, a new report reveals that educators continue to face physical, verbal and legal abuse from students, parents and even fellow staff members.

The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations (KFTA) released its annual report on Thursday, detailing 504 cases of teacher rights violations handled through its counseling services in 2024. While this is a slight drop from the 519 in 2023 and 520 in 2022, the organization said the overall situation remains troubling.

One case from the report involved a graduate who returned to an elementary school in South Chungcheong and urinated on a teacher’s desk in an act of revenge last year. Another incident at a middle school in Daegu involved a student who created and circulated deepfake content of a teacher on Telegram. The student was reported to the police and received a five-day suspension from school. The teacher, traumatized by the incident, took a medical leave of absence.

The most common type of abuse reported last year came from parents, accounting for 208 cases, or 41.3 percent. This was followed by abuse from other school staff at 31.6 percent and from students at 15.9 percent. Disputes with administrators or colleagues were included under staff-related cases.

Among parent-related incidents, 68.8 percent stemmed from complaints over disciplinary measures. In 80 of these cases, teachers were reported for child abuse. One such example occurred at an elementary school in North Chungcheong, where a teacher tried to manage a student who had been bullying classmates and throwing rocks at pedestrians. The teacher instructed the student to remain seated during breaks and to return straight to the classroom after lunch.

The student’s parent later filed a police report, claiming the child developed a rash and began wetting the bed. The teacher was eventually cleared of all charges by prosecutors.

The KFTA provided legal support to the teacher, and said it offered legal assistance in 70 cases last year — the highest number in the past seven years.

“Once a teacher is reported, their daily life is upended due to overlapping investigations from education offices, local governments and law enforcement,” a KFTA official said. “Even if they are exonerated, there is no way to recover from the damage. There needs to be a legal mechanism to penalize baseless complaints that obstruct teachers’ work.”

There were 80 cases of abuse by students, with female teachers accounting for 77.5 percent of the victims. The most frequent offenses were verbal abuse and slurs at 23 cases, followed by physical assault at 19 cases — more than double the number from the previous year. Eighteen of the 19 physical abuse cases involved female victims.

One high-profile case occurred last month at a high school in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, where a senior student attacked a female teacher with a cell phone.

“Violence and sexual harassment against teachers — acts that constitute criminal offenses — are on the rise,” the KFTA said in the report. “Urgent measures are needed to ensure the safety and dignity of educators.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE BO-RAM [[email protected]]