"Are You Really Dead?" Parent Visits Teacher's Funeral Hall to Confirm

It was recently revealed that two teachers at an elementary school in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, took their own lives consecutively two years ago. At one teacher's funeral, some parents even showed up saying they wanted to "personally confirm if the death was real."

According to an MBC report on the 13th, the late teacher Lee Young-seung's phone had two missed calls just before death and text messages even after passing away. These were from a mother, identified as Ms. A, of a student who was on long-term absence.

The late teacher Lee Young-seung's appearance during his lifetime [Photo by MBC 'News Desk']

When Ms. A received no reply from the teacher, she came to the school the next day. A colleague recalled, "Even when we told her 'he suddenly passed away,' she didn't believe it. She was very aggressive and told us not to lie."

Ms. A also went to Lee Young-seung's funeral home and had a confrontation with the bereaved family. It is understood that she did not pay respects separately.

At the time, the family told Ms. A, who had been standing there for quite a while, "Please come in," but she refused, saying, "I'm not here to greet anyone."

The family asked her at least to sign the guestbook, but Ms. A refused even that. Eventually, the family asked, "Mother, is this funeral home a playground for you?" Ms. A responded, "Are you angry at me?" and asked back, "Do you know me?"

The family said, "We don't know you, mother. Didn't you not tell us your name? Didn't you not say whose parent you are?" and broke down in tears. Ms. A then said, "Maybe I came to the wrong place. Right?" and left without giving a final farewell to teacher Lee Young-seung.

On the 9th, messages left by mourners are attached along with flowers at an elementary school in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Before her extreme decision, the teacher also had to resolve another parent's complaint demanding a public apology from students who had ostracized a child.

Additionally, in 2016, her first year at the school, she was burdened for over three years with compensation demands related to an incident where a student cut their hand while cutting a PET bottle during class.

The student's parents received 2 million won in compensation from the School Safety Mutual Aid Association, but it was found that they continued to contact the teacher. The school even passed the issue to the teacher, who was on leave and serving in the military, asking her to resolve it directly.

Teacher Lee Young-seung, who had to handle parents' complaints alone, left a note saying, "I don't think this job suits me. Every day was difficult," and eventually ended his life. He was 25 years old at the time.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Teacher Lee Young-seung, who had to handle parents' complaints alone, left a message saying, "I don't think this job suits me. Every day was hard," and ultimately ended her life. She was 25 years old at the time.

Meanwhile, in connection with this incident, five teacher organizations in Gyeonggi Province, including the Gyeonggi Teachers' Union, issued a joint statement urging, "Conduct a thorough investigation into the death, punish those responsible, and immediately carry out a comprehensive survey of similar cases." The groups also demanded that the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education "immediately establish concrete measures to prevent malicious complaints and to report malicious complainants for obstructing work."

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education stated, "We will act as protectors for the Gyeonggi education family to ensure that such tragedies never happen again," and "We will establish institutional measures so that no one has to endure further pain and loneliness alone." They added, "We will transform the Gyeonggi education environment so that trust and support among staff, students, and parents are restored and teachers can focus on educational activities."

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