The practice of teachers on leave temporarily returning to work during school vacations when there are no classes, only to take leave again as the new term begins—so-called "opportunistic reinstatement"—is increasing year by year.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Education to the office of People Power Party lawmaker Park Jeong-hun, 49 teachers temporarily reinstated themselves during school vacations and went back on leave at the start of the semester between 2023 and August of this year.
The number has risen steadily each year, from 6 in 2023 to 10 in 2024, and 16 in 2025. This year, the figure reached 17 by August alone, already surpassing last year's total.
By region, Gyeonggi Province accounted for 14 and Seoul for 12, making up more than half of the total.
Notably, the most common case—totaling 21 instances—involved teachers returning from fertility treatment leave during vacation and then transitioning into parental leave once the term started.
When a teacher becomes pregnant while on fertility treatment leave, they can transition directly to parental leave without having to return to work first.
However, critics point out that returning to work during vacation allows teachers to collect a salary without the burden of teaching and to fulfill the requirements for performance bonuses.
An official from the Ministry of Education explained, "While most teachers transition directly to parental leave without reinstating themselves, there are cases where individuals change their minds after intending to continue working, meaning circumstances vary by person."
The problem is that this practice causes harm to fixed-term contract teachers.
Because they serve as substitute personnel for teachers on leave, fixed-term teachers can have their contracts terminated even if their contract period remains, once a regular teacher is reinstated.
Online teacher communities frequently feature complaints from fixed-term teachers who suddenly lost their jobs because regular teachers reinstated themselves right before the vacation period.
The Ministry of Education has requested regional offices of education to ensure that teacher leaves and reinstatements are processed on a semester basis in consideration of academic operations, but the request carries no enforcement power.
An official from the Ministry of Education stated, "As this does not align with public sentiment, we will thoroughly manage teacher attendance and service to prevent early reinstatements during vacations due to personal reasons, barring unavoidable circumstances."
Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
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