On July 18th, 2023, a young teacher who work at the Seoi Elementary School in South Korea committed suicide. When the police began an investigation, it was revealed through the testimony of fellow teachers that the constant abuse of power by parents had caused a lot of ordeals for the teacher. Parents have been filing malicious complaints against teachers because they work in the legal field. The incident became a catalyst in which teachers strongly protested the government to guarantee teachers’ rights. ^[1]

South Korea is one of the countries known to have a competitive education system. More and more, private education has become more important to get a higher grade at school and go to top universities. ^[2]However, as private education spending increases, the importance of public-school teachers has decreased. Public school teachers no longer hold as much authority over students., and parents no longer show respect for them. As a result of this social change, public school teachers have faced many more adversities than in the past. The purpose of teachers is to educate students both academically and morally.^[3] For example, if students are rude to the teachers, they have to be educated on their morals, which is part of the job of teachers.  

However, students, especially elementary school students, tell their parents events that happened from their point of view. Parents take this information, and file complaints to and against the classroom teacher. Had the teachers been protected by union rights, these complaints would not cause problems for them. ^[4]Therefore, this hardship that public school teachers face can be attributed to the lack of protections in place for teachers’ rights. The Ministry of Education in South Korea and the Korean Educational Development Institute have presented the following analysis of OECD’s survey of 48 countries of education in 2023. In South Korea, the number of students per teacher is 1.5 % higher than the average OECD, which illustrates they have many things to overcome compared to their work. ^[5]

Additionally, compared to Canada, South Korean teachers are very much faced with violations of their rights. In Canada, teachers have clear and set teaching hours, and they do not have a mandatory obligation to respond to communication from parents or students outside of their office hours. By contrast, in South Korea, it is mandatory to reply to the questions or complaints. Otherwise, they are punished by the school principal. All these factors make teachers doubt their ability to be successful teachers.  These factors cause a lot of stress for teachers. From this they can develop various mental illnesses such as depression, panic disorder, lethargy, and even commit suicide. ^[6]According to the survey by the Korean Teachers and Education Worked Union, 4 in 10 teachers in South Korea faced a high risk of depression. It divulges the direct relations of mental health issues between parents and teachers through the corruption of the parent’s rights. 63.1% of teachers experienced verbal abuse by parents. ^[7]

On July 18, 2023, a teacher in Seoi Elementary School in Seoul committed suicide. She was 23 years old. She had faced difficulties from the complaints from students’ parents and eventually, she made “the unfortunate decision to make an extreme choice.” The persecution from aggrieved parents caused teachers immense hardship. ^[8]For these reasons, teachers are making voices for legal reform and protection of their rights. Thus, the teachers’ rights have to be protected to prevent more serious problems. 

All of the surveys of teachers expose the problem of parents disobeying teachers. Parents have no respect for the wellbeing and rights of their children’s teachers. Stephen Richards Covey  once said that “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It is the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”  The quote is well-connoted on the conflict between parents and teachers. The conflict begins with a lack of communication and faith from the parents. The death of laws has intensified the anguish of the teachers. For instance, parents call the teachers after working hours when they have a question, no matter the time, on a weekend, or even on a national holiday. No matter what, teachers have to reply to their calls.  If the teachers do not respond, the parents complain to the teachers, principals, and the Ministry of Education. Teachers receive severe punishments for this and can even be fired. Some parents are very rude and impolite to the teacher. It becomes more serious in rich areas where parents have high-paying jobs or come from generational wealth. The income for teachers is not high in South Korea, which is yet another reason that parents are rude to the teachers even when they educate their children. Fundamentally, parents do not think of public school teachers as esteemed educators because of the development of the private education industry and culture. ^[9]

For evidence, in the survey of Teacher Perception in 2023 from the Korean Federation of Teachers, 88 teachers say the morale of the teachers are dropping. Likewise, in the survey on satisfaction with teaching life, 48% of teachers voted for dissatisfaction, which is two times bigger than 24% for satisfaction. The factor is that 66% of teachers say they get stress from parents. It is more than half of the teachers’ replies. It explains almost half the dissatisfaction of the teachers. ^[10]

On July 29, 2023, 30,000 teachers in South Korea protested in the capital to commemorate the dramatic decrease in teachers’ authority in Gwanghwamun, which is the most populated area in Seoul. Teachers were holding signs that were protesting, saying, “Guarantee teachers’ right to education. Create a safe educational environment.” They wore black clothes and masks to refer to the condolence of the elementary school teacher who committed suicide under the pressure of malicious parents. The teachers request an amendment to Act On Special Cases Concerning The Punishment Of Child Abuse Crimes. Typically, this amendment is mandatory for increasing teachers’ rights which is also abused by parents. They use it to intimidate that they want the teachers to follow what they want. The protesting was voluntary without the support of the teachers’ union and any organizations.^[11] Due to these factors, the insulting parent’s attitude results in a harsh environment for the teachers. 

The teachers’ jurisdiction has been offended by the conflict between parents. Grave problems originate from offenses. Korean Federation of Teachers Associations put their energy into fighting the elements that cause distress to teachers. The government has to reinforce the law of Special Act On The Improvement of Teachers’ Status and The Protection of Their Education Activities to relieve the pains of the teachers. Under the law of article 2-2, titled “honorable treatment of teachers,” “The State, local government, and other public organizations shall pay special attention to ensure that the authority of teachers is respected when they educate and guide students.” It does not have efficacy at all. Some parents do not even know that teachers’ rights still exist. ^[12]The South Korean government has to recognize the jurisdiction of teachers through media, government announcements, and consistent lectures by parent forums or federations, mainly social media. In the survey of Social Media Users in 2021 by the Korea Press Foundation, 70.1% of people replied purpose of using social media is to get information and news. As well, 83.5% of users of social media watch the news from social media. It clarifies the importance of social media in South Korean society. ^[13]In addition, the analysis by Ipsos state, the influence of social media is enormous in the process of forming public opinion on specific issues. It gives the directions of government to increase social consciousness of the environment of teachers and their jurisdiction.^[14]

Overall, the majority of teachers are suffering due to infringement on their rights by parents. The suffering leads to serious mental illnesses. In particular, parents are abusing the law to harass teachers. Starting with the of suicide of a teacher at Seoi Elementary School, the South Korean Teachers Association is protesting and strongly advocating for the protection of teachers’ authority. ^[15]To solve the incident, the government must improve social awareness using various methods such as social media and strengthen the law about teachers working conditions. Therefore, the administration of South Korea must protect teachers from parental abuse and create the best working conditions for teachers.

Works Cited 

Choi, Donhee.  ““Guarantee teachers’ right to survive” … Another memorial rally for 30,000 teachers nationwide.” MBN News center, 29 July. 2023. https://www.mbn.co.kr/vod/programView/1334403

Ipsos Report. “Empirical analysis of the influence of social media on public opinion formation.” Ipsos Report No. 22, Ipsos Korea. 12 Nov. 2018. 

Ji, Yongguen. “Current status and awareness of teaching rights,” Mhdata institution, 8 Aug. 2023.

http://mhdata.or.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=koreadata&wr_id=254

Korean Legislation Research Institute. “Special Act on the Improvement of Teachers’ Status and the Protection of Their Education Activities.” No. 19094, Article 1, Korean Legislation Research Institute, Korea Law Translation Center,  27 Dec. 2022,.

Korean Press Federation. “Korea Press Federation announces main results of ‘2021 Social Media User Survey.’” Korea Press Federation, press release, 21 Nov. 2021.

Mackenzie, Jean. “Teacher suicide exposes parents bullying in S Korea.” BBC, 4 Sep. 2023,

Ministry of Education. “Announcement of results of “Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) Education Index 2023.””, Ministry of Education official blog, 9 Sept, 2023.

OECD. “Education at a Glance 2023.” OECD, OECDiLibrary, 12 Sept. 2023, https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/education-at-a-glance_19991487

Shin, Jinyoung. “Korean elementary school teachers whose teaching rights violated take charge of 16.1 students per person.” AJU Business Daily, 12 Sept. 2023,

Son, Deokho. “Reasons for violation of teaching rights: Teachers: “Insufficient punishment of students and parents” Parents: “Emphasis on students human rights.” Chosun Biz, 3 Aug. 2023,

Teo, Wendy. “Free mental health treatment for South Korean South Korean teachers amid suicide cases.” The Straitstimes. 21 Sep. 2023,

Yeung, Jessie, et al. “South Korean Teachers Hold Mass Protests after Suicide Highlights Pressures from Parents.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Sept. 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/09/05/asia/south-korea-teachers-protest-suicide-intl-hnk/index.html.

Yoon, L. “Private education in South Korea – statistics & facts.” Statista, 23 Nov. 2022,

^[1]Yeung, Jessie, et al. “South Korean Teachers Hold Mass Protests after Suicide Highlights Pressures from Parents.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Sept. 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/09/05/asia/south-korea-teachers-protest-suicide-intl-hnk/index.html.

^[2] Yeung, Jessie, et al. “South Korean Teachers Hold Mass Protests after Suicide Highlights Pressures from Parents.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Sept. 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/09/05/asia/south-korea-teachers-protest-suicide-intl-hnk/index.html.

^[3] Yoon, L. “Private education in South Korea – statistics & facts.” Statista, 23 Nov. 2022, https://www.statista.com/topics/5915/private-education-in-south-korea/#topicOverview

^[4] Mackenzie, Jean. “Teacher suicide exposes parents bullying in S Korea.” BBC, 4 Sep. 2023

^[5] Ministry of Education. “Announcement of results of “Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) Education Index 2023.””, Ministry of Education official blog, 9 Sept, 2023,

^[6] Teo, Wendy. “Free mental health treatment for South Korean South Korean teachers amid suicide cases.” The Straitstimes. 21 Sep. 2023,

^[7] Ji, Yongguen. “Current status and awareness of teaching rights,” Mhdata institution, 8 Aug. 2023,

http://mhdata.or.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=koreadata&wr_id=254

^[8] Yeung, Jessie, et al. “South Korean Teachers Hold Mass Protests after Suicide Highlight Pressures from Parents.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Sept. 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/09/05/asia/south-korea-teachers-protest-suicide-intl-hnk/index.html

^[9] Teo, Wendy. “Free mental health treatment for South Korean South Korean teachers amid suicide cases.” The Straitstimes. 21 Sep. 2023,

^[10] Ji, Yongguen. “Current status and awareness of teaching rights,” Mhdata institution, 8 Aug. 2023,

http://mhdata.or.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=koreadata&wr_id=254

^[11] Choi, Donhee. “”Guararntee teachers’ right to survive” … Another memorial rally for 30,000 teachers nationwide.” MBN News center, 29 July. 2023

^[12] Korean Legislation Research Institute. “Special Act on the Improvement of Teachers’ Status and the Protection of Their Education Activities.” No. 19094, Article 1, Korean Legislation Research Institute, Korea Law Translation Center,  27 Dec. 2022, 

^[13] Korean Press Federation. “Korea Press Federation announces main results of ‘2021 Social Media User Survey.’” Korea Press Federation, press release, 21 Nov. 2021,

^[14] Ipsos Report. “Empirical analysis of the influence of social media on public opinion formation.” Ipsos Report No. 22, Ipsos Korea. 12 Nov. 2018

^[15]Mackenzie, Jean. “Teacher suicide exposes parents bullying in S Korea.” BBC, 4 Sep. 2023