Teacher Involved in 'Bongha Village Cliff' Question Controversy Finally Submits Resignation Letter

Education Office Promises "Thorough Investigation and Strict Measures"

A contract teacher working at a middle school in the Gyeongnam region, who included expressions reminiscent of the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun, such as 'Yoon OO, who lived in Bongha Village,' 'jumped off the cliff on the mountain behind by himself,' submitted a resignation letter.

Gyeongnam Office of Education building view
[Photo by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

In this regard, the provincial Office of Education issued a statement on the 30th saying, "The teacher who created the question produced an inappropriate item that contradicts the professionalism and responsibility that a teacher in charge of student education should have. We also found that the school, which is responsible for managing this, had a poor evaluation management process." It expressed deep regret for "causing concern not only to parents but also to the residents of the province due to the inappropriate exam question." The Office of Education promised, "We will make further efforts based on strong accountability to create schools where proper education is conducted."

It added, "We feel a heavy responsibility as the supervisory and guidance institution regarding this matter," and emphasized, "We will thoroughly inspect the entire evaluation management process to prevent such cases from occurring in the future." Plans include a thorough investigation and strict measures against the school, rigorous supervision of private schools, in-school training for all teachers to prevent recurrence of similar cases, and application of school evaluation consulting.

The teacher who created the questions is currently excluded from teaching and homeroom duties. This teacher wrote a question asking to describe the role of socialization, including the content that "Yoon OO, who lived in Bongha Village, went missing and was found on the mountain behind the village after more than ten years. Even after returning to society, he could not adapt, such as not learning to speak, and eventually took his own life by jumping off a cliff on the mountain behind." Another question included expressions like "Chinese believer" and "our class’s ㅂㅅ (boseok)." The teacher also mentioned the names of current students and their parents at the school, depicting them as objects of ridicule.

When these facts became known, the school stated, "We plan to visit the parents of the students mentioned in the exam paper directly to apologize," and explained, "The teacher who created the question is a contract teacher, and it seems the contract will end this year."