Verbal abuse, malicious complaints, physical assault, sexual harassment, defamation, and invasions of privacy—violations of educational authority now take on many forms. This growing issue has led to a dramatic rise in the number of counseling and psychological treatment cases reported to the Centers for the Protection of Educational Activities. According to data from the Ministry of Education, the number of counseling sessions offered by these centers increased from 7,936 in 2020 to 34,066 in 2023. Similarly, psychological treatment cases rose from 1,498 in 2020 to 7,502 in 2023.

  The number of teachers visiting hospitals for mental health issues such as depression and anxiety has also grown. According to the National Health Insurance Service report titled Depression and Anxiety Treatment Trends from 2018 to the First Half of 2024, a total of 35,120 childcare and educational workers received treatment for depression or anxiety in the first half of 2024 alone.

  In some cases, these struggles lead to suicide. According to the Ministry of Education’s report on Teacher Suicide Cases Over the Past 10 Years, a total of 168 teachers passed on suicide between 2015 and Aug. 31, 2024. Since 2021, more than 20 teachers have taken their own lives each year.

  Lee Young-chul, who is the head of the Educational Authority Committee of Korean Federation of Teacher’s Associations (KFTA), suggested three reasons for the infringement of educational authority.

  First, awareness about teachers’ professionalism and authority has weakened in today’s rapidly changing social environment. Unlike in the past, there is a growing trend among students and parents to view teachers as mere service providers, leading excessive and unreasonable demands.

  Second, as greater emphasis is placed on students’ human rights, teachers’ legitimate authority in educational activity and guidance are being diminished. In the circumstances where the human rights of students are overemphasized while responsibility for their actions and compulsory education are insufficient, the right for learning of other students and the educational rights of teachers are being simultaneously infringed upon by a few students who make trouble.

  Third, the excessive administrative burdens of teachers, along with the resulting psychological exhaustion, are major factors that aggravate the infringement of educational authority. Furthermore, the government and political circles’ lukewarm attitude toward protecting teachers’ educational authority—combined with inadequate legal and institutional strategies—has contributed to the current situation of violations of educational authority.

  According to Park Hyun-kyung, the head of Chungbuk branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU), a survey conducted among teachers in Chungbuk from May 8 to 12 shows that 78% of the respondents felt they were not adequately protected from infringements of educational authority. 55% of the respondents said that teachers are burdened with excessive responsibility for students experiencing emotional and behavioral crises, often having to manage these issues alone. The survey also shows that 61% of the respondents pointed out the reality that administrative duties are prioritized over educational activities. These responses indicate that education’s proper task is not being properly ensured. Furthermore, when asked if they would stay in teaching profession until retirement age, 65% of the respondents answered “No.” The reasons, cited by the respondents, included anxiety about reports of civil complaints and child abuse, excessive administrative work, along with stress, and decline in educational authority. Therefore, the results of the survey indicate that the difficulties faced by teachers are not merely individuals’ problems, but there is a need for structural diagnosis and improvement of the education system as a whole.

  According to Lee, a head of KFTA, increasing social requirement about protecting the educational authority after the death of a teacher in Seoul Seoi Elementary School in 2023, the legal and institutional improvement, including the Five Teachers Rights Laws, was passed. Through the amendment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and Early Childhood Education Act, it was clearly defined that the legitimate educational activities of teachers are not child abuse. As the Special Act on the Improvement of the Teacher’s Status and the Protection of Their Educational Activities was rewritten, the School Teachers’ Authority Protection Committee was transferred to the District Office of Education.

  However, despite these legal and institutional efforts, they still fall short of fundamentally resolving the difficulties faced by teachers in schools. According to the Ministry of Education’s 2024 fact-finding survey, there were 4,234 cases in which the Teachers’ Authority Protection Committee was convened to deliberate on violations of educational authority. Among them, 3,925 cases—or 93%—were recognized as infringements on educational activities. Although this is a slight decrease compared to 5,050 cases in the 2023 school year, it still indicates that infringements of educational activities remain widespread in schools and that current systems are limited in their effectiveness in protecting teachers.

 In response, Lee, a head of KFTA, emphasized the need for an overall reorganization of relevant laws and systems in order to break the vicious cycle of infringements on educational authority and to effectively protect teachers’ educational activities. He proposed three key measures.

 First, the scope and authority of legitimate educational activities must be clearly defined in law and legal and institutional support to protect these activities must be significantly strengthened. In particular, it is crucial to establish clear guidelines and an effective legal support system to protect teachers from unjust attacks when dealing with students who exhibit problematic behavior.

  Second, teachers’ excessive administrative duties must be completely separated from the core duties for teachers. The government must establish legislation to create an institution dedicated solely to school support, fostering an environment where teachers can fully focus on instruction and lesson planning without the burden of administrative tasks. It should also ensure adequate staffing and budget allocation to meet these needs effectively.

  Third, the legal establishment of a culture of parental participation in schools is essential. Beyond securing parents’ rights, regulations must also outline generational responsibilities and duties to support school instruction. Additionally, measures should be implemented to protect teachers from undue private interactions and excessive complaints outside formal school communication channels.

  In addition, Park, a head of KTU, asserted “Teachers’ fundamental political and labor rights must be guaranteed. Teachers are citizens, yet they cannot be denied recognition as such. This is because they lack fundamental political rights. Teachers cannot join or sponsor a political party, run for office, or even press ‘Like’ on social media posts from the political party or candidate they support. As teachers become politically intimidated, a number of education policies end up being overly bureaucratic and disconnected from the realities of the school. Also, although teachers are workers, they are not fully recognized as such. Among the labor’s three primary rights that all workers should be guaranteed—the rights of association, collective bargaining, and collective action—teachers have been deprived of the rights of collective action. Without the right to strike, negotiations with the Ministry of Education or Office of Education are often difficult.”

  Recently, the Chungbuk branch of the KTU signed a labor and management agreement with the Chungcheongbuk-do Office of Education.

  Key provisions of the agreement include:

▲ Article 2: The Provincial Office of Education will proactively educate schools on preventing secondary victimization during the operation of the Teachers’ Authority Protection Committee when violations of educational authority occur.

▲ Article 3: During investigations caused by complaints from parents, the Provincial Office of Education must ensure that the teacher involved is given an opportunity to present their side of the story. It will also include guidelines in its comprehensive plan to prevent excessive demands for written explanations or statements. The agreement also stipulates that in cases where teachers are subjected to unjust violations of their rights by students, parents, or colleagues, the Provincial Office of Education will actively inform to the school about the provision allowing for up to five days of special leave and up to six days of official sick leave (which may be used together) to ensure the teacher has time for recovery.

▲ Article 5: To enable the immediate separation of teachers and students involved in such incidents, the Provincial Office of Education will guide schools to hire substitute teachers.

  Park, a head of KTU, commented, “There is some regret that the agreement was not concluded earlier, as more teachers could have benefited from these provisions had it been implemented sooner. While these provisions may not be enough to fully restore teachers’ rights, they will certainly help reduce the damage caused by violations.” She continued, “As part of our efforts to address infringements on educational authority, our branch handles individual cases while also providing educational programs for teachers who are members of the association. In response to the issue, we closely communicate with affected teacher in member of association, providing legal consultation and support, and we monitor whether the Office of Education is properly following procedures, including the operation of the School Teachers’ Authority Protection Committee. If there are any inappropriate remarks or actions from school administrators—principal and vice-principal—parents or the Provincial Office of Education during this process, we also respond accordingly. In terms of education, we focus on raising the overall awareness of teachers’ rights among our members. Every day, we share Today’s Educational Authority News in our union’s group chat to keep members up to date on relevant knowledge of educational authority. Additionally, we invite the lead attorney from the law firm under contract with our branch to conduct case-based legal education sessions and discussions, which many teachers have found highly beneficial and satisfying.”

  Finally, Lee, a head of KFTA, stated “Protecting teachers’ educational activities is not merely a matter of individual rights—it is a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring students’ right to learn and supporting their healthy development. When teachers can dedicate themselves to education with pride and confidence, students receive a higher quality of education. This, in turn, represents one of the most crucial investments we can make for the future of our society.”