The Teacher in Question:
"I Don’t Remember, but That Was Not My Intention"
A high school teacher in the Jeju area sparked controversy by telling students that "it’s because the 4·3 gene flows in them," and the school has since issued an apology.
On the 11th, Jeju A High School released an official statement signed by the principal on the school’s website. A High School stated, "We deeply apologize for causing concern to students, parents, the local community, and the educational community regarding the teacher’s recent remarks during class."
The school explained, "It was confirmed through student testimonies that when students did not respond to the teacher’s question during the first meeting at the beginning of the semester, the teacher said things like, ‘In Jeju, people used to be arrested for speaking, so that gene seems to be imprinted,’ and ‘Isn’t it because of the 4·3 gene?’ Through teacher interviews and written statements, it was confirmed that the remarks were intended to create a more relaxed atmosphere in the first class, but we judged that the way the historical event was referenced was inappropriate." The school added, "The teacher was given a stern warning regarding the seriousness of the matter."
Furthermore, the school promised, "We will strengthen human rights and historical sensitivity education conducted annually for all faculty and students, including visits to the 4·3 Peace Park and education related to the 4·3 incident. We sincerely apologize to those who were hurt by this incident and will do our best to reflect on our educational responsibilities and ethical awareness and to establish fundamental measures to prevent recurrence." It is also known that the local education office sent supervisors to A High School to accurately assess the situation.
The teacher in question also issued a separate statement, saying, "I do not clearly remember whether I used words like ‘4·3 gene,’ ‘DNA,’ or ‘imprint’ since it was a class in early March and I teach all first-year classes. However, even if I did use such words, I absolutely did not intend to disparage or criticize the 4·3 incident." It was reported that the word ‘imprint’ did not appear in the posted notice.
Meanwhile, the controversy came to light when some students at the school posted a notice on campus stating that "a teacher at the school said to students, ‘It’s because the 4·3 gene flows in you.’" The notice read, "An unbelievable event occurred right here in the place of education. A teacher uttered the words ‘It’s because the 4·3 gene flows in you’ because students did not answer during class," and questioned, "How is this statement any different from the stance decades ago that called victims ‘rioters’ and ‘communists’?"
Other students expressed agreement by attaching post-it notes with opinions next to the notice. The post-it notes included phrases such as "We demand reflection," "Apologize," "Distorted historical awareness, regional hate speech," and "We condemn the teacher’s actions and demand appropriate disciplinary measures from the school."
According to the notice, on the 4th, during class, a teacher said to students who did not answer questions, "It’s because the 4·3 gene flows in you." This was the day after the 77th anniversary of the 4·3 memorial day. However, the school clarified that the remark was made "not on April 4th but during the integrated social studies orientation class in early March 2025."
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