Deceased Daejeon Elementary School Teacher Supported Save the Children for Years

Mr. A "Did Not Understand or Try to Understand the Educational Field" Criticism
Save the Children Submits Opinion to Police on Child's 'Psychological Difficulties'

Teacher A from an elementary school in Daejeon, who died after suffering from malicious complaints by parents, was reported to have supported the international child rights organization Save the Children for several years.

Save the Children is the child abuse investigation agency that Teacher A criticized after reporting cases of infringement on teachers' rights to the elementary school teachers' union, stating, "I experienced an absurd decision by the child abuse investigation agency. They had no knowledge of the educational field and did not try to understand it."

According to the website of the Daejeon Western Child Protection Agency, Save the Children operates the Daejeon Western (Seo-gu and Yuseong-gu) Child Protection Agency under commission from Daejeon City.

The family of an elementary school teacher from Daejeon who passed away due to malicious complaints entered a 5th-grade classroom at an elementary school in Yuseong-gu where the teacher was employed on the morning of the 9th, holding a portrait photo and shedding tears.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 11th, the Daejeon Teachers' Union and Yonhap News reported that Teacher A had been donating 30,000 KRW monthly to the organization for several years since giving birth to a child in 2011. Teacher A ended the sponsorship after hearing that a child in Nepal, whom they had been supporting, was moving to another region.

The union, quoting the bereaved family, said, "Teacher A wanted to support a child born from the heart along with childbirth. They chose Save the Children because it seemed the most neutral and free of religious affiliations."

A Save the Children official stated, "There is no record of a donor named Teacher A around 2011. However, it is possible that the record was deleted after the sponsorship ended or that Teacher A sponsored under the child's name or another name."

According to Save the Children, when Teacher A was reported for child abuse in 2019, the police regarded it as a suspected child abuse case. The case was then notified to the relevant child protection agency, and the agency operated by Save the Children conducted five on-site investigations over a month involving the child, parents, teachers, and the entire class.

The investigation results included content confirming "the child had psychological difficulties and needed counseling and treatment." At that time, there was no obligation to submit the investigation results to the police.

However, in early 2020, when the child's parents filed a complaint with the police, the investigation into Teacher A resumed. At this time, Save the Children was required to submit the investigation results to the police and did so.

Teacher A, in their 40s and with over 20 years of teaching experience, was found unconscious at their home in Yuseong-gu on the 5th. They were transported to a hospital but passed away around 6 p.m. on the 7th, two days later.

[Photo by Save the Children Instagram capture]

According to the Daejeon Teachers' Union, Teacher A suffered from malicious complaints by parents for several years after sending a student who assaulted a friend to the principal's office while working at an elementary school in Yuseong-gu in 2019. In 2020, Teacher A was falsely accused of child abuse. Although Teacher A transferred to another elementary school this year, they reportedly continuously complained of trauma (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Meanwhile, recently, Save the Children has faced public backlash, including posts about stopping donations. Online communities have responded, saying, "Although it is a small amount, it was the only organization I supported, but judging a teacher's classroom management as child abuse and emotional abuse seems a bit off."