Jeongyojo Gyeongnam Branch: "70% of Teachers in the Province Experienced Power Abuse in the Last 3 Years"

Defamation, Insult, Sexual Harassment, and Demands for Money, etc.

The Gyeongnam Branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) announced the results of a survey on teacher abuse in the province on the 29th and urged the provincial Office of Education to prepare countermeasures.

The KTU Gyeongnam Branch stated that from the 16th to the 18th, they conducted an online survey targeting teachers in kindergartens, elementary, middle, high, and special schools across the province regarding their experiences of abuse.

The branch defined "abuse" as "actions where a person in a relatively superior position behaves arrogantly or acts arbitrarily," and explained that the survey results showed that 7 out of 10 teachers had experienced such abuse.

Noh Kyung-seok, former head of the Gyeongnam branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, is urging measures against power abuse.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

According to the survey, 1,029 teachers responded, and 70% of all respondents reported having directly experienced abuse within the past three years.

The rate of abuse experience was higher among female teachers than male teachers, with 85% and 82% of teachers in their 4th and 3rd years respectively reporting abuse.

Among teachers with 21 to 30 years of experience, 55.1% reported abuse, while 34.6% of those with over 31 years of experience said they had experienced abuse.

The perpetrators of abuse were mostly administrators such as principals and vice principals at 86.5%, followed by parents at 32.9%, fellow teachers at 25.1%, non-teaching staff at 12.8%, and others at 3.2%.

The survey revealed that 78.5% of teachers endured the abuse alone without officially reporting the incidents.

They bore the abuse alone because they felt "reporting would not lead to any change or resolution," "fear of secondary harm or disadvantages," and "concern that the reporter's personal information might be exposed."

Cases of abuse reported to the KTU included statements such as "You are the only one who uses childcare time," "If you are not visible, you will be sent to another school," "Why is the husband taking parental leave instead of the wife?" and "Why don’t you wear a skirt to school events?"

There were also cases where teachers on sick leave were questioned with "Are you really sick?" and told "If you plan to get pregnant, you will not be appointed," as well as instances of personal errands being assigned, temporary teachers being asked to tutor the perpetrator’s children, and standing while conducting computer-based classes.

There were also cases of appearance disparagement, sexual harassment, and demands for food, gifts, or money from temporary teachers.

The KTU Gyeongnam Branch stated, "We have received over 500 reports of abuse cases," and added, "Even when abuse is reported, it often results only in verbal warnings, leading to dissatisfaction that the disciplinary actions are too lenient."

They urged, "We ask the provincial Office of Education to thoroughly eradicate the abusive culture that is ruining schools and to strive to create a democratic school culture."

Branch head Noh Kyung-seok said, "If the provincial Office of Education conducts a full survey on abuse victims, they will be able to identify problems in more detail than our branch’s investigation," and added, "Punish the perpetrators severely, and resolve the abuse issue through comprehensive institutional improvements and measures to prevent disadvantages."