Seogeo-seok, Former Jeonbuk Superintendent of Education, "Filed Complaints Against Parents Instead of Teachers... Judged as Violation of Teacher's Rights"

Parents reported over 20 cases in 3 years
"The Office of Education judges it as a clear violation of teachers' rights"

Photo by Jeonbuk Office of Education

Seo Geo-seok, former Superintendent of Education in Jeonbuk, stated on the 23rd that the Jeonbuk Office of Education filed a complaint on behalf of a teacher against a parent for maliciously violating teacher authority because "it was judged to be a clear infringement of teacher authority."

On the 23rd, Superintendent Seo explained the incident on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' saying, "During class, a student twisted a PET bottle to make a sound, and the teacher wrote the student's name on the blackboard. Because of this, the student's parent reported child abuse and school violence and requested a change of homeroom teacher." It is known that the parent filed about 20 complaints related to child abuse and school violence, as well as a petition to the National Human Rights Commission over three years concerning the homeroom teacher's disciplinary guidance.

Superintendent Seo said, "The Supreme Court ruled that the teacher's actions were legitimate disciplinary guidance, but the parent, feeling wronged, reported child abuse again," adding, "Even though the prosecution decided to suspend indictment, the parent is currently pursuing all possible legal actions." He continued, "The teacher is currently receiving counseling and psychiatric treatment," and explained, "Considering the progress so far, this is a clear case of teacher authority infringement, which is why the Office of Education stepped in."

Meanwhile, this is the first case in Jeonbuk where a superintendent has filed a complaint on behalf of a teacher regarding an infringement of teacher authority. Educational organizations expressed support for the complaint, stating, "Protecting educational activities is essential to safeguarding school educational capacity and students' right to learn, so the prompt establishment of a changed teacher authority protection system in the field is urgent."