Jeju teacher's death intensifies scrutiny of school complaint systems

A memorial altar is set up at the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education, Saturday, to honor a middle school teacher who died after reportedly being harassed by repeated complaints from a student’s family. Yonhap

Concerns are growing over the effectiveness of school complaint response systems following the death of a middle school teacher on Jeju Island, who was reportedly the target of repeated complaints from a student’s family.

The incident highlights a growing national debate over safeguarding educators and the emotional strain of an increasingly litigious environment, as more teachers report feeling vulnerable amid rising demands and confrontational encounters with parents.

The teacher was found dead at the school on Thursday. According to education officials, the teacher had expressed emotional distress due to persistent complaints, reportedly receiving more than 10 phone calls a day from the student’s family.

The case in Jeju closely resembles a widely reported incident from 2023, when a young elementary school teacher died by suicide at Seoi Elementary School in southern Seoul.

That tragedy sparked nationwide calls for the creation of a separate communication channel to handle parental complaints, with the goal of shielding teachers from the emotional toll of managing a barrage of direct contact.

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education also introduced new measures in August 2023, shortly after the Seoul incident.

The measures included setting up complaint response teams at each school, made up of administrative staff to ensure grievances are handled at the institutional level rather than by individual teachers. Additional measures included expanding the use of confidential contact numbers to safeguard personal information and replacing school telephones with recording-enabled devices to better manage complaint calls.

Despite these measures, records show that the Jeju teacher continued to receive numerous calls from the student’s family between March and mid-May. On May 16 alone, the family’s number appeared eight times in the call logs of the teacher's phone, with the teacher making four return calls.

This exposes a gap between official guidelines and their implementation, raising questions about the effectiveness of the education office’s complaint response system.

A recent survey by the Ministry of Education reveals that violations of teachers’ rights remain widespread.

According to the 2024 Survey on Infringements of Educational Activities, local teachers’ rights protection committees reviewed a total of 4,234 cases this academic year, with roughly 93 percent recognized as violations of educational activities.

In many instances, parents reported teachers for child abuse based on their remarks or attitudes toward students or repeatedly filed complaints through phone calls and in-person visits.

Presidential candidates speak during the second presidential debate for the 21st presidential election at KBS Studio in Seoul, Friday. From left are Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party and Kwon Young-kook of the Korean Democratic Labor Party. Joint Press Corps

Amid ongoing concerns about teacher protections, presidential candidates have made safeguarding educators’ fair educational activities a key part of their education pledges. The urgency surrounding serious violations, seen as contributing to an exodus of teachers and a decline in applicants, is clearly reflected in their campaign promises.

Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung pledged to reduce excessive and unnecessary administrative work, streamline the complaint response system and introduce mental health leave for teachers.

People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo highlighted the need to balance a student's right to learn with educator's rights, reduce their administrative workload and create a legal support system as well as mental health resources for them.

Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok included a plan to make the state responsible for lawsuits filed against teachers in his top 10 campaign pledges. The goal is to protect educators from indiscriminate lawsuits and false accusations, while ensuring they can promptly address classroom disruptions and misconduct.

Meanwhile, Kwon Young-kook of the Korean Democratic Labor Party pledged to protect teachers’ rights by guaranteeing their political freedom. He emphasized that teachers should be free to exercise their political voice and have the authority to shape education policies and propose legislation.