JeonGyoJo, Memorial Rally for Teachers Who Committed Extreme Suicide... "Truth Investigation and Countermeasures Needed"

Over 300 Participants Urge Guarantee of Educational Rights

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) mourned a teacher who took an extreme step on the 22nd and called for a thorough investigation and the establishment of countermeasures.

A memorial wreath is placed in front of an elementary school in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jeon Hee-young, the chairperson of KTU, held a rally in front of Gwangtonggyo Bridge at Cheonggyecheon, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in the afternoon, stating, "We urge the education authorities and the National Assembly to come up with practical measures to guarantee the collapsed right to education," and added, "We ask the entire society to come together for schools where education is possible and classrooms where teachers can teach freely."

A head of student affairs at an elementary school in Chungbuk said, "It is imaginable how much self-blame there must have been in a school where everything is blamed on the teacher," and added, "I often thought about dying because I felt like everything I did would cause problems and wondered what I was even doing here."

About 300 people participated in this rally. They held placards with the phrase "Immediate investigation! Establish countermeasures!" and shouted slogans demanding "Guarantee the right to education." The KTU plans to hold another rally in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno-gu.