S. Korean teachers protest harassment

SEOUL — About 50,000 South Korean teachers rallied in Seoul on Monday to demand better protection of their rights and spotlight what they called widespread harassment by overbearing parents that has spurred some colleagues to take their lives.

After a young teacher was found dead in an apparent suicide in July, complaints by public school teachers have grown sharply over mistreatment by parents and students, such as accusations of child abuse for disciplining pupils.

"To inquire is to mourn," read some of the banners displayed at the protest.

Legal measures had been inadequate and government officials passive when it came to protecting teachers against problems, said one teacher who took part in the rally, but gave only her surname, Lee, so as to protect her anonymity.

"On top of classes, there have been unnecessarily heavy workloads and excessive complaints from students and parents," she said. "They have been a comprehensive problem, which I experienced throughout my 15 years of teaching."

During the six years up to June, about 100 public school teachers have committed suicide in South Korea. Fifty-seven taught at elementary schools, government data showed.

President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered officials to listen to the teachers' demands and work to protect their rights, his office said.

Apart from the Seoul protest, about 60,000 to 70,000 teachers held rallies elsewhere, organizers estimated.

Authorities warned that collective action by teachers to disrupt classes was illegal and threatened disciplinary steps.

The South Korean teachers' union was not involved in Monday's demonstrations, said the group leading the protests, Everyone Together As One.

"We will protect them (the teachers) and make changes so that not one more teacher chooses to take their life," protest organizers said in a statement.

In July, an elementary school teacher was found dead at school after reportedly expressing anxiety over complaints by a parent regarding a dispute among students.

Among the visitors to the memorial of the teacher set up at an elementary school in Seoul was Jung Chai-jin, 67.

"They studied hard to go to education schools and became teachers because they loved children," she said. "And they have to die like this in the classroom?"

Ku Bo-na, a fifth-grader from another school who also visited the memorial, said, "Teachers are those who make me grow, so it will be sad if my teacher passes away."

Teachers have held nationwide vigils and demonstrations each weekend since to mourn the death, culminating in a rally on Saturday that drew as many as 200,000 teachers near the National Assembly in Seoul.

South Korea has the highest rate of suicide among developed countries, data from the World Health Organization and OECD showed, with more than 20 people per 100,000 of its population taking their lives.

Agencies via Xinhua