Estimated 200,000 Teachers Gather in Seoul for Rally over Rights Protection

Teachers stage a protest in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sept. 2, 2023, calling for better protection of their rights in light of the recent deaths of their colleagues. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — An estimated 200,000 teachers from around the country gathered in Seoul on Saturday to commemorate the recent deaths of young teachers and to call for the better protection of their rights.

Dressed in black, thousands of teachers gathered near the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, for the rally. Organizers of the rally claimed that 200,000 teachers attended.

The teachers’ push for enhanced rights gained momentum following a 20-something elementary school teacher’s suicide in Seoul in July.

It was followed by the deaths of two more teachers, one each in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, in recent days.

Teachers believe their deceased colleagues were all under excessive stress due to pushy parents.

They also demand amendments to an ambiguous clause in the Child Welfare Act that can hold teachers accountable for child abuse for what they consider to be necessary disciplinary action.

The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed at the end of July to move forward with a set of legal revisions aimed at protecting teachers’ rights and enhancing their authority in the classroom.

On Aug. 23, the education ministry unveiled a plan to introduce a new collective school grievance response system in order to protect teachers from abusive complaints by parents.

Meanwhile, teachers also plan to take a day off Monday to organize another rally. The education ministry has warned that such collective action would be illegal and that teachers and their principals could be dismissed or face criminal charges.

In response to that threat, the progressive Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union filed a complaint against Education Minister Lee Ju-ho with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on charges of abuse of authority.

(Yonhap)