South Korea has passed a set of legal revisions aimed at improving the rights of teachers in schools, following protests sparked by a series of teacher suicides reportedly linked to malicious complaints from parents. These legal changes, collectively known as the “teacher rights restoration bills,” were passed at the national assembly and represent a significant step toward enhancing working conditions and protections for educators in the country.
One of the bills, which had unanimous support, will prevent teachers from being automatically suspended if they are accused of child abuse. It also prohibits school principals from downplaying or concealing activities that may have violated a teacher’s rights. Teacher unions have welcomed these changes, attributing their success to the efforts of teachers who protested for weeks.
However, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union cautioned that achieving the full effectiveness of these laws may be challenging without sufficient manpower, budget support, and additional legislation. Notably, a provision that would have allowed teachers to record students who violated teacher rights, potentially affecting their university admission prospects, was excluded from the final bills.
The protests and large-scale walkouts by teachers were ignited by the suicide of a 23-year-old primary school teacher in July, who had expressed anxiety over complaints from abusive parents. Subsequent teacher suicides suspected of being related to malicious complaints brought the issue to public attention.
The government had previously unveiled guidelines to enhance teachers’ rights and address abusive complaints, including measures such as introducing a chatbot service to handle simple parental complaints on behalf of teachers in Seoul. These legal amendments aim to address the abusive treatment teachers face from both parents and students and offer them greater protection.
