Some 20,000 teachers rally at National Assembly in Seoul seeking child abuse law changes
In short
Three South Korean teacher groups held a joint rally in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on October 9, with 94 teacher organisations and unions taking part and an organiser-estimated 20,000-plus teachers attending. They called for revision of the Child Welfare Act and related laws, saying unfounded child abuse reports are deterring teachers from legitimate teaching and student guidance. They also demanded political rights for teachers and opposed several education policies, including changes to local education finance grants.
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Teachers from across South Korea held a large rally in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on October 9, calling for revision of child abuse-related laws and a guarantee of teachers' basic political rights. The rally, titled a nationwide teachers' rally urging revision of laws to guarantee educational activities, was organised jointly by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (한국교원단체총연합회), the Korean Teachers' Union Federation (교사노동조합연맹) and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (전국교직원노동조합). Asia Economy located it in Yeouido. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Ninety-four teacher organisations and unions took part, and organisers estimated that more than 20,000 teachers attended, Yonhap and Asia Economy reported. It was the second time the three groups had jointly held a large rally, one year and four months after a memorial rally for a Jeju teacher in June last year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
In a joint statement, the groups said that even when a teacher is found not to have committed child abuse, the investigation and the damage to daily life are hard to undo. They urged the government and the National Assembly to set judgment criteria reflecting the characteristics of schools and to revise the Child Welfare Act and related laws; Asia Economy said they also sought revision of the child abuse punishment act. The groups released cases of reports they described as unfounded, which Asia Economy numbered at 50. In one, Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily reported that a teacher and a principal were sued after a student who folded a paper airplane from performance-assessment material was cautioned; Asia Economy described a teacher being sued over a student folding paper airplanes during an assessment. In another, a teacher was reported for stopping a student running out of the school cafeteria. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
According to Asia Economy, participants said 80 of every 100 teachers had experienced infringement of their teaching rights in the past year and that two to three teachers are injured or assaulted per day on average. They said the five teachers' rights laws and the Lee Jae-myung government's protection measures had not changed conditions in schools. Kang Ju-ho (강주호), president of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, asked whether the situation in which a teacher assaulted by a student is instead treated as a child abuser would be left uncorrected. [ 2 ]
The groups also said teachers who teach students about participation in a democratic society have their rights as citizens restricted outside school. They opposed changes to local education finance grants, saying funding linked to 20.79% of domestic taxes should be kept, and called for scrapping the 3 p.m. dismissal plan for lower elementary grades and uniform kindergarten-childcare integration talks, and halting the expansion of essay-type assessment and AI grading without sufficient verification. [ 3 , 4 ]
The three groups said they would remain united until the teachers' demands are realised in law and policy. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
It was the first large nationwide teachers' rally in one year and four months and only the second large rally the three groups have held jointly, according to the reports. The groups said they would keep working together until their demands are reflected in law, setting out positions on legislation and education policy for the government and the National Assembly.
Key facts
- The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, the Korean Teachers' Union Federation and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union held the rally in front of the National Assembly on October 9. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- 94 teacher organisations and unions took part; organisers estimated attendance at more than 20,000 teachers. [ 2 , 3 ]
- It was the second large rally held jointly by the three groups, and came one year and four months after a memorial rally for a Jeju teacher in June last year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The groups demanded revision of the Child Welfare Act and related laws and judgment criteria for child abuse cases that reflect conditions in schools. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The groups released cases of child abuse reports they described as unfounded; Asia Economy put the number at 50. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- They called for teachers' basic political rights and for keeping local education finance grants linked to 20.79% of domestic taxes. [ 3 , 4 ]
- They demanded scrapping the 3 p.m. dismissal plan for lower elementary grades and the kindergarten-childcare integration talks, and halting the expansion of essay-type assessment and AI grading without sufficient verification. [ 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Three teacher groups jointly held a rally in front of the National Assembly on October 9. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Organisers estimated more than 20,000 teachers attended, with 94 teacher organisations and unions taking part. [ 2 , 3 ]
- It was the second large joint rally by the three groups, one year and four months after a June memorial rally for a Jeju teacher. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The groups called for revision of the Child Welfare Act and released cases of child abuse reports against teachers. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The groups demanded teachers' basic political rights and opposed changes to local education finance grants. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Attendance of more than 20,000 teachers. The figure is the organisers' estimate; no independent count is given.
- Who was sued in the paper-airplane case. Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily say a teacher and a principal were sued; Asia Economy mentions only a teacher.
- Figures on teachers' rights infringement and assaults. Reported only by Asia Economy as participants' statements, without a stated source.