Parent Claims Son's Inappropriate Touching Is 'Pure Love,' Accuses Teachers of Defamation

Teachers at an elementary school in Gyeongnam are reporting psychological trauma and are seeking psychiatric treatment following a series of child abuse reports filed by the parent of a student in special education.

The Gyeongnam Teachers Union recently held a press conference at the Gyeongnam Office of Education briefing room, publicly demanding that the Superintendent of the Gyeongnam Office of Education file criminal charges against the parent for obstruction of justice and false accusation.

According to the teachers union, the parent, identified as A, has been filing malicious complaints and indiscriminate child abuse reports against about 10 homeroom and special education teachers since 2021, when their child, B, was in the first grade.

It is reported that A demanded to stay in the classroom starting when their child was in the first grade, and would take the child home during class or interfere with educational activities.

The union stated that even after the start of the school year last year, the parent frequently intervened in classes while staying in the classroom, and continued unreasonable behavior such as watching from outside the classroom when their presence was refused.

The homeroom teacher for the first semester eventually quit due to deteriorating health.

When a new teacher took over as homeroom teacher in the second semester, A demanded that the teacher prepare a week's worth of separate lesson plans for B and submit them for the parent's approval in advance.

The teacher reportedly suffered a permanent injury, a torn wrist ligament, due to B's sudden outbursts. It is said that the teacher later suffered from severe panic disorder due to A's complaints and even attempted to take their own life.

The union reported that the teacher eventually left the teaching profession entirely due to severe aftereffects.

B, who is in the sixth grade this year, is known to engage in behaviors such as putting their hands inside the clothes of a female special education teacher or grabbing specific body parts of a female volunteer. Parent A reportedly described these actions as "disability rights" or "pure love."

The special education teacher is also currently receiving treatment after being diagnosed with anxiety and depressive disorders.

Following this incident, when the homeroom teacher sent a notice to A regarding the protection of sexual self-determination, A filed a police complaint against the teacher for intimidation and defamation, claiming the teacher had "labeled their child a sex offender."

A also reported the teacher to the police for child abuse, labeling the teacher's act of locking the back door to prevent B from leaving the classroom after violent behavior as "emotional confinement."

Last year, A received a first-level disciplinary measure from the School Rights Protection Committee, which included a written apology and a pledge to prevent recurrence, but A filed an administrative appeal, which was subsequently dismissed.

The teachers union expressed the severity of the situation, stating, "The parent continues to show no remorse, such as by refusing to apologize."

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.