On the July 11 broadcast of the SBS program "Unanswered Questions," the current state of the educational field in 2026 was investigated.
Last April, a teacher working at an elementary school in Jeju was horrified to find a sticky, foul-smelling liquid inside a tumbler that had been cleaned the previous day. An investigation revealed that the substance was human semen.
The teacher, suffering from anxiety and fear, took sick leave. However, two months later, someone intruded into the classroom where a substitute teacher was conducting a class in the teacher's place. This time, traces of urine were left on the teacher's chair.
The investigation identified the culprit as a 16-year-old male student from a nearby high school. He denied any malicious intent, claiming he had entered the elementary school because he needed to use the restroom. However, the victim was left trembling in fear, wondering why such acts were committed against them twice. Because the perpetrator was a 16-year-old minor, his name, face, and true motives remained unknown, further deepening the victim's anxiety.
Currently, events darker and more cruel than any drama are unfolding in schools. Last year, a middle school teacher in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, was sued on charges of child abuse.
The child's grandmother called the teacher first, expressing her anger by saying, "I cannot let you treat a child I raised with more than the value of two apartments so carelessly." The following day, the child's parents filed a complaint, alleging that the teacher had forced the child to perform calisthenics in a heatwave and dragged the child by the ear to the teachers' office on the 2nd floor.
However, this account was completely different from what the teacher remembered. The teacher held a meeting with the parents the next day, hoping to clarify the facts. Instead, the parents became agitated and interrogated the teacher, shouting and demanding that the teacher only answer yes or no to their questions, as if conducting an interrogation.
The parents, who had demanded CCTV footage, sued the teacher using the footage and witness statements. Despite the police explaining that the CCTV footage could not be interpreted as abuse, the parents did not back down. In November of last year, the court ruled that there were no signs of child abuse by the teacher.
However, the parents subsequently filed an application for adjudication, and after that was also dismissed, they filed a second lawsuit last April on charges including assault and insult. The parents are now engaging in secondary victimization against the teachers. Furthermore, the parents even filed a complaint regarding the teacher's actions to the National Assembly through an acquaintance who is a parliamentary aide.
At an elementary school in Busan, a child was involved in sexually harassing and assaulting classmates. The child also used profanity and insulted the parents of others, as well as the teacher. The teacher notified the parents of the problematic behavior multiple times and requested guidance at home.
In response, the child's parents stated they would discipline the child well, while also questioning whether the teacher held a bias against their child.
Eventually, as similar incidents continued to repeat, the Office of Education's deliberation committee was convened, and a forced transfer order for the child was issued after 2 months. The parents, who had previously requested that a school violence committee be held to ensure the child received proper guidance, changed their tune. They demanded a review of the forced transfer order, reported the teacher for child abuse, and portrayed the other students in the class as if they were the perpetrators. This legal battle has been ongoing for 2 years.
The child's parents, who continue to pursue repeated lawsuits, shocked many by revealing their inner thoughts, claiming they were also under great stress and suffering, stating, "I don't know if I should say this, but I want to crush the teacher."
With an annual average of 700 child abuse reports filed by parents and acts of abuse by teachers occurring out of sight, there is deep concern that child abuse complaints have also become a tool for parents to harass teachers.
Incumbent school principals stated, "The moment the law entered, the school collapsed." An expert pointed out, "Parents do not want a solution; they want an apology, which is why they respond emotionally. It is a situation where it is easy to file complaints, and if they set their minds to it, they can harass teachers as much as they want."
The expert added, "Even if the emotional wounds are addressed and comforted, they do not stop. Emotions are transferred to the parents, who then fight a proxy war. When they are told the teacher is wrong, the parents find comfort in the belief that they have done the right thing. They are abusing the system."
Teacher Hyun Seung-jun, who passed away last year, was a science teacher and head of student affairs at a middle school in Jeju, and was known as a passionate educator.
However, in May of last year, he took his own life at the school where he had worked for 20 years. Leaving behind 4 letters, he expressed his frustration, stating in his suicide note that "he did not lie."
Teacher Hyun had been in conflict with a student named Choi, who had been frequently tardy and absent since the beginning of last year. Upon receiving a tip that Choi, who was rarely at school, was smoking, As head of student affairs, Teacher Hyun felt he could not simply let the matter slide. Choi promised he would not smoke and would attend school regularly. However, Choi did not show up to school the next day, and complaints were filed by Choi's parents.
Choi's family claimed that Teacher Hyun had falsely accused Choi of smoking, preventing him from attending school, and that Teacher Hyun had used abusive language during the process. They bombarded Teacher Hyun with unreasonable demands, threatening to report him to the Office of Education.
Perhaps due to the pressure of the complaints, Teacher Hyun suffered from severe headaches before his death. He applied for sick leave, but it was not granted.
Instead, he contacted the student's family and arranged a meeting to resolve the complaints. However, no one from Choi's family appeared on the day of the appointment. Ultimately, he took his own life.
Experts drew attention by pointing out that what is more urgent than new institutions or systems is the more active utilization of the authority that is already in place.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)