Teachers who took leave to stage rallies won't be punished

The Ministry of Education decided on Tuesday against penalizing teachers who went on leave to stage a rally mourning the recent death of a young elementary school teacher.

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho speaks at a press briefing at the central government complex in central Seoul on Tuesday, stressing that his ministry will not penalize teachers who went on leave on Monday to mourn the death of a young teacher who took her own life. [YONHAP]

The Ministry of Education decided on Tuesday against penalizing teachers who went on leave to stage a rally mourning the recent death of a young elementary school teacher.

“I have come to realize the pure willingness and passion of teachers to pay respects to the late teacher and restore teachers’ rights,” Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said during a meeting with heads of two major teachers’ unions at the government complex in Seoul on Tuesday.

“Teachers who participated in the recent mourning will not receive any disadvantages regarding their status as teachers and educational authorities will not punish them whatsoever.”

The minister promised to put all his efforts "into curing the pain and loss felt by teachers and to normalize public education."

Lee also promised to meet with teachers once a week to hear from the teachers and communicate with them regularly.

The ministry had earlier said it would respond sternly to “illegal” collective actions of teachers who took leave to participate in rallies, saying that commemoration of a death does not constitute a reason to take leave.

People Power Party floor leader Yun Jae-ok on Tuesday morning asked the government "to take a tolerant stance" regarding the matter.

The remark came after Lee said he would try his best to go easy on teachers who went on leave during the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts meeting held Monday night.

Teachers’ unions welcomed the ministry’s decision and asked for the government to draw up responsive measures as soon as possible.

“Education in Korea will be different from Sept. 4,” the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union wrote in its statement.

Political parties are discussing bills to restore teachers’ rights in classrooms, including ones to protect teachers from malicious accusations of child abuse from parents.

The National Assembly’s Education Committee will hold a bill review meeting on Thursday to amend laws such as the Special Act on the Improvement of Teachers’ Status and the Protection of their Educational Activities.

Some 50,000 people, including teachers and students, staged a rally in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday. According to rally organizers, another 70,000 people gathered outside of Seoul to mourn the death of a 23-year-old teacher at Seo 2 Elementary School in southern Seoul who took her own life in July.

Students go to class on Tuesday at Seo 2 Elementary School in Seocho District, southern Seoul, where a 23-year-old teacher took her own life in July due to suspected harassment by parents. [NEWS1]

Classes at schools in the country were suspended as teachers took their leaves to commemorate the 49th day since the young teacher’s death. Observing the 49th day since death is a Buddhist ritual.

The teacher died by suicide after being allegedly harassed by the parents of a student involved in the so-called “pencil incident” who scratched the forehead of a classmate with a pencil.

Police confirmed the parents communicated with the deceased teacher multiple times regarding the case before she died.

The mass rally on Monday also came as multiple teachers took their own lives in the past few days.

Last week, two more teachers died by suicide in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, and Gunsan, North Jeolla.

Police on Tuesday began an investigation into the death of the elementary school teacher who was found dead in Gusan.

A 60-something-year-old physical education teacher at a high school in Yongin, Gyeonggi, took his own life on Sunday.

The teacher was under investigation by the education office following a request from the parents of a student who was hit by a soccer ball kicked by a classmate while the teacher was away. The student reportedly suffered a retinal hemorrhage.

The parents also filed a complaint against the teacher for professional negligence.

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191. The Seoul Foreign Resident Center offers English-language counseling. Contact 02-2229-4900 to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]