Teachers' groups rally for child welfare law reform ahead of Seoicho Elementary anniversary

Teachers' organizations held a large rally Friday, one day before the third anniversary of the death of a teacher at Seoicho Elementary School in Seoul, calling for immediate revision of the Child Welfare Act amid continuing controversy over the law.

The "National Teachers' Assembly," a coalition led by the Elementary Teachers' Union, gathered in front of Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu that afternoon and demanded that the Child Welfare Act be revised immediately, saying it treats teachers as potential criminals. About 4,000 people — an unofficial police estimate — attended, many dressed in black to mourn the deceased teacher.

Kang Seok-jo, chairman of the Elementary Teachers' Union, criticized the education minister for repeatedly invoking the concept of an "educational community" without substance, saying the minister was trying to resolve the issue through "school culture" rather than legislative reform and forcing teachers into one-sided sacrifice. He added that the distorted structure in which a single malicious child-abuse complaint can brand a teacher a criminal — even for legitimate classroom guidance — persists to this day.

An elementary school teacher from South Jeolla Province who spoke at the rally cited the Netflix drama series "Teach You a Lesson," which has recently drawn wide public attention. The teacher said the show depicted the bitter reality of South Korea's education system that came to light after the Seoicho incident — including harassment by unreasonable parents, the resulting chilling effect on teachers' classroom authority, disruption of lessons, false child-abuse reports and the absence of any mechanism to protect teachers' rights. The teacher went on to condemn the current Child Welfare Act, saying even the educational process of teaching rules, mediating conflicts and correcting misbehavior has become grounds for a complaint, and asked why the teaching rights of dedicated teachers and the learning rights of the majority of students who want to study should be violated by malicious complaints and lawsuits.

Lee Na-yeon, a legal adviser on teachers' rights for the Elementary Teachers' Union, also raised concerns about the law's legal framework. Lee said that under the Child Welfare Act and the Special Act on Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, emotional abuse is defined as "conduct harmful to a child's mental health and development," and that many teachers still face the burden of proving on their own that the countless things they say and do as educators are legitimate.

Gyeonggi Province Education Superintendent Ahn Min-seok and Incheon Education Superintendent Do Seong-hun also attended the rally to express solidarity. Ahn said that if teachers across the country share the same fear of having legitimate educational activities reported as child abuse, the problem is not one of individual teachers but a structural flaw, and urged the National Assembly to make revision of the Child Welfare Act its top priority as soon as standing committees convene in the second half of the year.

The "Seoicho incident" refers to the death of a first-year teacher at Seoicho Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in July 2023. The teacher died by suicide after enduring excessive complaints from a parent, among other pressures. The case drew widespread public outrage by exposing the collapse of teachers' authority in schools.

In the drama series "Teach You a Lesson," a parent who habitually files complaints against an elementary school teacher takes the teacher to court on child-abuse charges simply because the teacher would not comply with the parent's demands, leaving the victimized teacher to face an investigation despite being innocent.

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline 1393, available 24/7. Please request a translator for English-language services.