Middle School Teacher Referred to Prosecutors on Child Abuse Charges
"You Could Also Become a Perpetrator" Statement Causes Controversy
Oh Jun-young, Jeonbuk Teachers' Union President, Objects
At a middle school in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, a teacher who mediated a fight between students using profanity by telling them to "apologize to each other" has been reported for child abuse, sparking controversy. The issue arose because the teacher reportedly said during the mediation process, "You could also become a perpetrator."
On the 24th, Yonhap News reported that Oh Jun-young, president of the Jeonbuk Teachers' Association, held a briefing at the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education and stated, "A teacher in the province was reported to the police on charges of child abuse and was sent to the prosecution." Oh criticized the police decision, saying, "It is unacceptable to apply child abuse charges to legitimate life guidance."
According to the Jeonbuk Teachers' Association, the incident began in March in a first-grade classroom at a middle school in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, where a verbal altercation involving profanity occurred between students. The homeroom teachers of the involved students reportedly mediated the situation and suggested mutual apologies. At that time, Teacher A said, "Since both sides are at fault, let's apologize and end this," but one student refused to apologize. Subsequently, the parent of this student reported two teachers?the homeroom teacher of Teacher A and the other student involved?to the police for child abuse.
The police summoned the teachers twice for investigation in April and recently sent Teacher A to the prosecution on charges of child abuse. The issue centered on Teacher A’s statement to the student, "You could also become a perpetrator."
Jeonbuk Superintendent of Education Seo Geo-seok submitted an opinion stating that this was "not child abuse," and Teacher A claimed, "I never said such a thing," but the police did not accept these statements.
The Teachers' Association strongly opposed the decision, saying, "If legitimate life guidance is recognized as child abuse, it is tantamount to telling schools to give up on education."
President Oh stated, "Even the law established through the revision of the five laws on teacher authority and system improvements after the death of a teacher at Seoi Elementary School, which states that 'legitimate life guidance is not considered child abuse,' cannot override the Child Abuse Punishment Act?" He added, "We cannot tolerate the police decision that pushed the teacher to the brink," and declared, "We will stand with the teacher and fight to the end."
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