One day before the third anniversary of the death of a teacher at Seo-i Elementary School in Seoul, teachers' organizations held a rally calling for the revision of the Child Welfare Act.

"All Teachers of the Nation," a group consisting of teachers centered around the Elementary School Teachers' Union, held a rally in front of the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of July 17, demanding, "Immediately revise the Child Welfare Act that treats teachers as potential criminals."

Approximately 4,000 people, according to unofficial police estimates, gathered wearing black clothing to commemorate the deceased teacher.

Kang Seok-jo, chairman of the Elementary School Teachers' Union, appealed, "The Minister of Education is only calling for an empty 'educational community,' forcing unilateral sacrifices on teachers by claiming that issues can be solved through 'school culture' rather than legislation. The structure where one malicious complaint or accusation of 'child abuse' can turn a teacher into a criminal, even for legitimate classroom management, remains unchanged."

An elementary school teacher from the Jeonnam region mentioned the recently popular Netflix drama "True Education," stating, "It shows the educational reality that only came to light in South Korean society after the Seo-i Elementary School incident: malicious complaints from parents, the resulting shrinking of teachers' classroom management, disruption of classes, false reports of child abuse, and the absence of mechanisms to protect teachers' rights."

The teacher continued, "This is because of the current Child Welfare Act, which makes even the educational process of teaching rules, mediating conflicts, and correcting wrong behavior a target for reports. Why should the educational rights of teachers who want to teach diligently and the learning rights of the majority of students who want to study hard be infringed upon by malicious complaints and lawsuits?"

Lee Na-yeon, a legal advisor for teachers' rights at the Elementary School Teachers' Union, said, "While emotional abuse under the Child Welfare Act and the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse is defined as 'acts that cause harm to a child's mental health and development,' many teachers are still struggling to prove the legitimacy of the countless words and actions they performed as educators."

She added, "It is time to seriously consider whether it is the intention of the legislators and in line with the legislative purpose for teachers to be hesitant, self-censoring, worried, and anxious about receiving a lawsuit or notification of the start of an investigation at any moment."

Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Superintendent An Min-seok and Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education Superintendent Do Seong-hun also attended the rally to show their support.

Superintendent An stated, "If teachers across the country are suffering the same pain, fearing that legitimate educational activities will be reported as child abuse, this is not an individual teacher's problem but a structural one. I urge the National Assembly to process the Child Welfare Act as quickly as possible as soon as the standing committees open in the second half of the year."

The "Seo-i Elementary School incident" refers to the 2023 event in July where a teacher at Seo-i Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, took their own life after suffering from excessive complaints from parents, which sparked social outrage by revealing the reality of collapsed teachers' rights.

The drama "True Education" depicts a story where a parent who habitually makes complaints against an elementary school teacher sues the teacher for child abuse because the teacher did not listen to them, leading the victimized teacher to be falsely investigated.

(Photo: Yonhap News)