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Teacher reported for child abuse for stopping student-on-student assault in Busan

Published: 14 May. 2025, 19:30 Updated: 14 May. 2025, 20:45

Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education in Busan [BUSAN METROPOLITAN CITY OFFICE OF EDUCATION]

An elementary school teacher in Busan was beaten by her student when she tried to break up a fight between two students. The student's parents reported her for child abuse when the teacher requested that a disciplinary hearing be convened.

The incident occurred on April 28 in a senior-grade classroom, according to the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education and the Busan Teachers’ Union on Wednesday.

The student got in a physical fight with a student from the next class during lunch break. When the teacher intervened to stop the fight, the aggressor responded by throwing punches at her instead.

The situation settled when other students who witnessed the event brought in other teachers.

The teacher later told the Busan Teachers’ Union that the student "slapped her in the face, grabbed her by the hair and shouted profanities."

“I was afraid of being reported for child abuse even while I was being attacked,” she said. “But I had no choice but to defend myself by grabbing the student’s wrist. I felt deeply humiliated and miserable.”

The teacher received a medical diagnosis indicating she required two weeks of treatment for injuries to her face, hands and arms. She also began taking medication for severe anxiety.

Elementary school students in Seoul on Feb. 12 [NEWS1]

The student’s parents initially expressed an intention to apologize.

But after the teacher requested that the school convene a teachers’ rights protection committee, they filed a police report accusing her of child abuse.

They reportedly cited statements from other students who claimed the teacher pushed the student during the incident.

Teachers have the right to request a teachers’ rights protection committee through the city or district office of education under the current laws.

These committees investigate the facts of the incident and determine follow-up measures, such as support for counseling, medical leave or if necessary, legal support for civil or criminal procedures.

"We are conducting a fair investigation, but we cannot disclose details," a police official said.

The Busan Teachers’ Union condemned the report as a “false child abuse accusation” and urged the education authorities to hold parents more accountable.

Songsu Elementary School in Busan on Jan. 3, 2024 [JOONGANG ILBO]

“To prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again, we need not only adequate education for parents, but also a firm stance from the education authorities to hold them clearly responsible,” the union said.

A broader survey highlights how incidents like this are impacting teachers’ morale.

In a poll conducted by the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Unions from April 23 to May 7, 53.7 percent of the 374 teachers from Busan responded that they had experienced infringements of their authority by students.

While 55.3 percent reported similar abuse from parents.

In the past year, 55.9 percent of teachers in Busan said they had considered leaving the profession. Among them, 51.3 percent cited violations of teachers’ rights as the primary reason.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM MIN-JU [[email protected]]