Education Ministry official under fire for ‘unjustly’ reporting child’s teacher for child abuse

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The Ministry of Education said late Thursday that it had launched an investigation into a case where a deputy director-level official at the ministry reported their child’s elementary school for child abuse.

Following the complaint, the teacher was immediately removed from their post.

According to reports citing the Elementary School Teachers’ Union, the ministry official used their position to file a complaint in November against the then-third-grade teacher, accusing them of child abuse.

The union said the child abuse report was made “unjustly” and said the ministry official was an “unruly parent” who would often call the teacher late at night. The official also reportedly made a book of guidelines about what the teacher should and shouldn’t do with the child.

The ministry declined to provide further information on why the official accused the teacher of child abuse.

But a controversy emerged as it came to light that the official had made unjust demands of the homeroom teacher.

These demands included an instruction to refrain from ever saying ‘no’ to the child, regardless of the situation, in order to prevent discouragement. Additionally, the official insisted that the teacher communicate in a pleasant manner with the child, akin to addressing a prince, based on the assertion that the “child possesses royal DNA.”

In May this year, the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office cleared the teacher of the charges. The teacher returned to their post a month later.

The Education Ministry has asked the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education to dismiss the official from the post immediately and said it would take stern action after the investigation concludes.

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)