Violence against teachers raises alarm about South Korea’s toxic schools



Analysis Violence against teachers raises alarm about South Korea’s toxic schools Educators allege legal changes have diluted their authority and empowered parental bullying, sparking teacher exodus Junghyun SongAugust 1, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Teachers rally at Gwanghwamun Square to demand revisions to South Korea's Child Welfare Act, July 29, 2023 \| Image: Song Jung-hyun In late June, two teachers in South Korea sustained injuries after their students assaulted them, revealing a rising tide of violence against educators. A female teacher in Seoul was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and injuries demanding a three-week recovery after a physical assault by her sixth-grade student. Another female teacher in Incheon endured a neck injury requiring hospitalization after her student forcefully threw her to the ground. The episodes form part of a disturbing trend. Datafrom the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association (KFTA) indicates that 1,249 teachers reported experiencing physical assault or attacks by students and parents between © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma 02Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 03Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 04North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 05South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 06AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 07South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics 08Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement

Analysis

Violence against teachers raises alarm about South Korea’s toxic schools

Educators allege legal changes have diluted their authority and empowered parental bullying, sparking teacher exodus

Junghyun SongAugust 1, 2023

Violence against teachers raises alarm about South Korea’s toxic schools

Teachers rally at Gwanghwamun Square to demand revisions to South Korea's Child Welfare Act, July 29, 2023 | Image: Song Jung-hyun

In late June, two teachers in South Korea sustained injuries after their students assaulted them, revealing a rising tide of violence against educators.

A female teacher in Seoul was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and injuries demanding a three-week recovery after a physical assault by her sixth-grade student. Another female teacher in Incheon endured a neck injury requiring hospitalization after her student forcefully threw her to the ground.

The episodes form part of a disturbing trend. Datafrom the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association (KFTA) indicates that 1,249 teachers reported experiencing physical assault or attacks by students and parents between

Violence against teachers raises alarm about South Korea’s toxic schools

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Junghyun Song