Mourning for Elementary School Teacher Who Died in Classroom... Nationwide Teachers to Hold Memorial on 20th

Jo Hee-yeon "As Superintendent, My Deepest Condolences for the Deceased"

Elementary school teachers nationwide plan to hold a memorial cultural event on the 20th at an elementary school in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where an elementary school teacher took their own life.

According to the education sector, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) and the Seoul Teachers Union will gather at the elementary school where the teacher who took their own life worked from 3 p.m. on the same day to hold a memorial cultural event. These organizations plan to hold press conferences in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the elementary school to call for a thorough investigation.

Earlier, teacher A was found dead in a classroom at an elementary school in Seocho-gu on the morning of the 18th. It is understood that A took their own life, and the police are conducting an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the death. A was known to be a relatively new teacher in charge of a first-grade class.

On the morning of the 20th, memorial wreaths were placed in front of an elementary school in Seocho-gu. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On online communities and elsewhere, there are suspicions that A was troubled by parental complaints while handling school violence-related duties. However, the police have not yet found any evidence suggesting that A was subjected to malicious complaints during investigations involving A’s family and colleagues.

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, posted on Facebook, "The cause of death has not yet been determined," and added, "I earnestly ask that you consider the shock that school members will experience until the investigation results are released. Our education office is seeking measures to support the psychological and emotional stability of school members and to assist in the normal educational activities of the school. As the superintendent, I mourn the deceased with a heavy heart."

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