About 58.6 percent of teachers in South Korea said they had either experienced violence from students or witnessed a colleague being targeted, a survey by a teachers’ union showed Wednesday.
The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations surveyed 3,551 teachers nationwide to assess the prevalence of student violence against school staff.
When asked how often they had encountered such incidents, 21.7 percent said one to three times, followed by 13.3 percent reporting four to six times, 7.1 percent reporting seven to nine times, and 6.5 percent saying they had witnessed more than 10 cases.
Even without physical violence, 86 percent of respondents said they had experienced some form of classroom harassment. About 93 percent reported students disrupting lessons or defying instructions, while 87.5 percent said they had been subjected to verbal abuse.
A significant share also reported threatening behavior, including spitting, glaring or feigned attempts to strike, cited by 80.6 percent of respondents. Meanwhile, 47.5 percent said they had experienced sexual harassment.
Despite the prevalence of such incidents, only 13.9 percent of respondents said they reported them to authorities. Among those who did not seek help, 26.9 percent said reporting offered no practical solution, while 23.8 percent cited fears of legal repercussions, such as being sued by parents for child abuse.
The union urged the government to introduce measures requiring records of students who violate teachers’ rights, along with clearer legal standards defining what constitutes emotional abuse under the Child Welfare Act.
While Article 17 of the law classifies emotional abuse as punishable, it does not clearly specify which actions fall under the category, the union said.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
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