"Decline of Teacher Authority, Blaming Geumjjok: O Eun-young's SNS Turns into a Battlefield"

Decline of Teacher Authority Revealed by Seoi Elementary Teacher Incident
"Parents' Complaints Caused by 'Geumkkoki'" Claim
"Not Oh Eun-young, but Parents Are the Problem" Rebuttal

The social media accounts of psychiatrist Dr. Oh Eun-young have become a battleground. This is because the fallout from the decline in teachers' authority, revealed by the extreme choice of a teacher at Seoi Elementary School, has spilled over onto Dr. Oh.

"Thanks to the doctor, only 'Geumjjok-i' exist in the education field," claim critics

Dr. Oh Eun-young, a psychiatrist. [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 25th, heated debates continued among netizens on Dr. Oh's SNS and multiple online communities. After testimony emerged that Teacher A (23) at Seoi Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, who was found dead at school on the 18th, had been suffering from severe complaints from parents, some began to blame Dr. Oh for the cause.

Those pointing to Dr. Oh's responsibility criticized her with comments such as, "Please stop appearing on TV now. You contributed to the decline of teachers' authority," "Thanks to the doctor, only 'Geumjjok-i' exist in the education field. Yet you still won't apologize, right?", "I want to hear you say 'I will be careful'," and "A teacher is a person too. Illness should be treated at a hospital, so why expect care at school? Step down from broadcasting."

These claims stem from the idea that Dr. Oh's 'Geumjjok-i' solution presented on broadcasts instilled incorrect thoughts in parents. After the Seoi Elementary School teacher's death, pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Seo Cheon-seok pointed out problems with parenting counseling broadcasts on SNS. However, the post has since been deleted.

Dr. Seo criticized, "The problem with the 'Geumjjok-i' type of broadcast programs is that they create the illusion that issues that can never be resolved by the solutions presented on the show can be solved," adding, "They make it seem like even very serious children's problems can be resolved with a few counseling sessions or a month or two of effort."

He also said, "Everyone knows that there are children for whom a few counseling or educational sessions won't work unless you are a fool or an amateur," and added, "Strong measures such as professional approaches that allow for long-term educational hospitalization and the assignment of one-on-one dedicated teachers (therapists) with extensive behavioral therapy experience must be introduced."

The next day, an anonymous post titled "Oh Eun-young seems to have ruined several parents" was uploaded on the workplace anonymous community 'Blind,' sparking controversy. The author claimed, "Without corporal punishment, indulging children, respecting even actions that make others uncomfortable or cause harm, and empathizing with them leads to children losing their manners."

As such claims spread, some teachers expressed disappointment with Dr. Oh's solutions, saying, "In Professor Oh Eun-young's book, there are parts like 'You must come back apologizing to the homeroom teacher' and 'Demand a change of homeroom teacher.' As a teacher, this is really disheartening."

"Excessive witch-hunting... The problem lies with parents who only know their own child"

Books by Dr. Oh Eun-young

However, there are also points raised that Dr. Oh is being excessively witch-hunted despite not being the essence of the decline in teachers' authority. In fact, on the Channel A broadcast "My Golden Child" aired on the 14th, Dr. Oh mentioned the crisis of teachers' authority in relation to a child who verbally abused the homeroom teacher and vice principal.

On the show, when the homeroom teacher cried over the tantrums of a second-grade elementary school student, Dr. Oh said, "From the teacher's perspective, they have lost many ways and the power to guide the children. They are in a position of giving up completely," adding, "A teacher must be in a good position to fulfill their role, but that position was threatened in front of many children."

Netizens defending Dr. Oh responded with comments such as, "Go talk to the Ministry of Education," "When an incident happens, people rush in for witch-hunting?when will this stop?" and "The problem is not Oh Eun-young, but parents who only care about their own child."