Investigating the Problems of South Korea’s Education System through Teachers’ Rights Protests

By Callie Yoo

Editor - Lara-Mai Crease

The opinions expressed in this article reflect the opinions of its author(s). They do not represent the views of the UCL International Relations Society, Circum Mundum, or its Editorial Team.

In July 2023, a 23-year-old South Korean elementary teacher took her own life in her classroom store cupboard as she was overwhelmed by the constant complaints of parents and the “craziness of her work” (Mackenzie, 2023). This tragedy unleashed an outburst of anger from primary school teachers across South Korea, as they demanded better protection of work through nationwide protests. Due to the child welfare law passed in 2014, teachers accused of child abuse were automatically suspended when reported. However, parents of South Korean students did not only use the law to protect their children but also to remove certain teachers from their posts (Mackenzie, 2023). Parents could access the teachers' phone numbers and constantly message them day and night, providing emotional and psychological stress to the teachers in and out of work. Parents even reported teachers and suspended them for restraining violent children in classrooms. Therefore, many teachers in the country suffer from mental health issues, with some even taking their own lives. The recent protests from such incidents signify systemic problems and social pressure in the South Korean education system.

To address the problem called out by the teachers during the protest, the South Korean government proposed a series of measures in August 2023. The government has introduced a chatbot service to primary schools, as parents could previously possess teachers' contact and text them anytime (Mackenzie, 2023). Furthermore, the four bills, collectively known as the “teacher rights restoration bills” were passed on 21 September 2023, which ensured that teachers are no longer automatically suspended upon parents’ accusations and prohibited school principals from downplaying or concealing activities that may have violated a teacher’s rights (Rashid, 2023). The recent legal reformation marked the beginning of the end of parents’ exploitation of teachers. However, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union warned that “achieving full effectiveness of these laws may be challenging without sufficient manpower, budget support, and additional legislations” (Rashid, 2023). Furthermore, the Seoul correspondent at BBC News, Jean Mackenzie, suggests that the issue also relates to the hyper-competitive nature of society as a whole.

Academic competitiveness in Korea is not a new social phenomenon that has just emerged in recent days. Economist Dani Rodrik accounts for education indicators and the availabilities of the skilled labour force as a contributor to South Korean economic growth (Rodrik, 1995). The increase in public education contributed to the rapid growth of the South Korean economy, allowing the general population to access primary and secondary education during the 1960s. As years passed, South Korean economic growth demanded more skilled labour in a short time, and having a university degree from a prestigious university became a determinant of success in South Korean society that guaranteed stable jobs. As Mackenzie exclaims, “Academic achievement is considered the best marker for success” in South Korea, pushing students to compete fiercely for the best grades from a very young age (even in primary school) to get into the country’s top university (Mackenzie, 2023). She also adds that such competition pushed the parents to maliciously accuse teachers they did not like, especially those who they think will interrupt their children's academic successes (Mackenzie, 2023). Therefore, the hyper-competitiveness of South Korean society resulted from various factors, one of which is the rapid economic growth, and contributed to the exploitation of parents on teachers’ rights.

Hyper-competition in South Korean society affects not only the educators but also the students themselves. Many South Korean children have despaired against the current grading system in the country that divides students into different “classes," crying that they are being looked upon if they do not get a desirable grade (EBS Documentary, 2023). One of the students in an interview explicitly said no matter how hard she tries, her teachers and her parents do not trust her with her efforts and discourage her from achieving academic success (EBS Documentary, 2023). Students who do not have the potential to survive the competition amongst their peers are ignored by both parents and teachers in the South Korean education system. Students get mental and psychological pressures from their environment. Therefore, 654 students, an average of 16 years old, died by suicide from 2016 to 2020 in South Korea (Lee, 2022). The education system in the country does not only put educators on the brink of suicide but also suffocates its students to death.

The current education system in South Korea encourages a competitive learning environment among students. It suffocates educators and students into pressure and, in worst cases, death. Such competition in the education system derives from many factors, one of which originates from rapid economic growth. South Korea needed high-quality knowledge and skills for economic growth in a short time, which created a very competitive society that puts success based on which university one ends up in. This problem also links to a low fertility rate, which will be discussed in future articles. The recent incident with the suicide of a primary school educator indicated that the country needs immediate societal reform. The legal amendment passed in September 2023 is only the beginning of such change. South Korea will have to address societal problems based on hyper-competitiveness as a crucial issue to be repaired in the long term to minimize the pressures on educators and students.

References

EBS Documentary. (2023). ‘1등급, 2등급, 3등급 우리가 한우도 아니고 왜 등급을 매겨요’┃경쟁이 아닌 배울 권리가 필요한 아이들의 간절한 외침┃ 다큐프라임. (Translates to: AAA, AA, A - why do we have to get graded like beef quality? | The voices of children who need a right to learn instead of competing one another | EBS Documentary Prime) [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/07Yzv6HVOYo?si=dk5SgFBKElRO9qpp [Accessed 7 Oct. 2023].

Lee, M. S., Jhone, J. H., Kim, J. B., Kweon, Y. S., & Hong, H. J. (2022). Characteristics of Korean Children and Adolescents Who Die by Suicide Based on Teachers' Reports. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(11), 6812. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116812

Mackenzie, Jean. (2023). S Korea passes new law to protect teachers from bullying parents. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66877389 [Accessed 23 September 2023].

Mackenzie, Jean. (2023). Teacher suicide exposes parent bullying in S Korea. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66655572 [Accessed 23 September 2023].

Rashid, Raphael. (2023). South Korea passes law to protect rights of teachers after mass protests over abuse from parent. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/22/south-korea-teachers-rights-laws-mass-protests-parents-abuse [Accessed 23 September 2023].

Rodrik, Dani. (1995). ‘Getting Interventions Right: How South Korea and Taiwan Grew Rich,’ Economic Policy, vol. 10, no. 20, pp. 53-107.

Yeung, Jessie, et al. (2023). South Korean teachers hold mass protests after suicide highlights pressures from parents. [online] Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/05/asia/south-korea-teachers-protest-suicide-intl-hnk/index.html [Accessed 23 September 2023].