The Supreme Court (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — In a recent ruling, South Korea’s Supreme Court determined that a teacher’s use of inappropriate language toward a disruptive student did not constitute emotional abuse under child welfare laws.
The case centers on a 4th-grade teacher, identified as A, who was accused of verbally abusing a student, referred to as B, in May 2022 at an elementary school in Gwangju.
After B ignored instructions to put his mobile phone away and became agitated, A confiscated the phone. When B reacted angrily, A reportedly muttered, “There’s no such thing as a more ill-mannered kid,” in front of other students, leading to accusations of emotional abuse.
Both the first and second courts initially found A guilty, sentencing the teacher to a 500,000 won fine, which was suspended. The second court justified the ruling by stating that A’s comments could have negatively affected the child’s emotional well-being and development.
However, the Supreme Court disagreed, ruling that while the remarks were inappropriate and could have caused discomfort, they did not meet the threshold for emotional abuse. The court emphasized that A’s comments did not have the intent to demean the student’s character, nor did they result in significant harm to the child’s mental health or development.
The Court acknowledged that A’s comments were made in the heat of trying to discipline the student, possibly reflecting the pressures and challenges of teaching. The ruling focused on the context, noting that the teacher’s words could be seen as an emotional outburst rather than an intentional act of abuse.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
