Education Story

Deep-rooted societal ills threatening the future of a society

A recent incident reported on Jeju MBC Newsdesk starkly reveals a deep wound in our society. The video, titled “Investigation into Parent Who Threatened Teacher Stalls… Must Be Strictly Punished” (2026.07.02), covers a case where a parent collectively accused over 10 elementary school staff members of child abuse, and even made death threats such as “I’ll kill you” and “I’ll blow you up.”

Although the police already sent the parent to the prosecution without detention last September on charges of false accusation and threats, the prosecution's investigation has been stalled for nearly a year. Despite national teacher unions submitting petitions and holding press conferences, the victimized teachers are still suffering from extreme mental distress. This incident is not a personal conflict. It symbolizes the collapse of teacher authority, the extreme selfishness of 'only my child matters,' and the pathological state of a society marred by competition and distrust.

The collapse of teacher authority was a foregone conclusion long ago. In the past, teachers were 'mentors' who taught and nurtured students, and pillars of the community. However, they have now been reduced to 'service providers.' It is common for teachers to face disciplinary action due to a single parent complaint, and they are often unable to properly respond to student violence during class. If false accusations, like in the Jeju incident, become rampant, teachers will abandon their fundamental role in education and adopt a purely defensive stance. In fact, many teachers are under such mental pressure that they consider depression, burnout, and even extreme choices. The educational field is no longer a place of learning, but a battlefield of lawsuits and threats.

At the root of all this is the extremely selfish parental mindset that 'I can threaten anyone for my child.' In modern society, parental love is instinctively strong, but when it is distorted into love 'only for my child,' it becomes a poison that erodes society as a whole. The act of suing teachers, claiming that one's child developed a chronic illness due to school life, is an attitude that disregards objective evidence or procedures and judges everything through the emotional framework of 'my child's harm.' The mindset that 'if my child is uncomfortable, the teacher is at fault' denies the essence of public education, which is communal upbringing and discipline. Defining teachers who educate other people's children as 'enemies' and pressuring them with threats and lawsuits is not love, but violence.

This selfish mindset is not just an individual problem. It is a result of our entire society being steeped in competition, anxiety, and achievement-orientation. In an era of low birth rates, over-investment in 'only children,' extreme competition for university admissions, and the 'perfect parent image' flaunted on social media drive parents to extremes. The mindset of 'as long as my child does well' makes them ignore the children of others, the suffering of teachers, and social norms. In parent communities and online spaces, teacher criticism has become commonplace, and cases where teachers are replaced due to a single complaint accelerate the decline of teachers' authority. In this process, parents excessively assert their rights as 'consumers' and degrade teachers to 'education service workers.' As a result, the educational field transforms into a place of distrust and conflict rather than trust.

What is more serious is that these changes are passed on to the next generation. Children learn the lesson that 'selfishness is justified' through their parents' behavior. At school, they naturally develop an attitude of interpreting a friend's mistake or a teacher's criticism as 'harm,' and if they are uncomfortable, they try to resolve it through lawsuits or protests. If teachers' authority collapses, respect and discipline among students also disappear. This is why assault cases, bullying, and disrespect towards teachers are increasing. In the end, education becomes an extension of the struggle for survival, not the transmission of knowledge. It is impossible for children raised in such a society to lead the future.

Without restoring teachers' authority and improving the education system, there is no future for the country. This is not an exaggeration. Teachers are not just knowledge transmitters; they are key agents responsible for children's character formation, social skills development, and value establishment. If teachers' authority is weakened, teachers will focus only on avoiding complaints and formal management instead of creative classes or individualized student guidance. This directly leads to a decline in the quality of public education and ultimately shakes the foundation of national competitiveness. Developed countries legally and strongly protect teachers' professionalism and autonomy. We have also established institutional devices such as the 'Four Laws for Teacher Protection,' but they are still ineffective in practice. Strong punishment for false accusations, mandatory parent education, and measures to prevent secondary harm to teachers are urgently needed.

Parents must realize this: if your child is precious, other people's children are also precious, and teachers are also someone's precious children. Teachers are someone's sons and daughters who work day and night to teach your child. Threatening and suing them is ultimately an act of self-harm that destroys the entire community. We need to broaden our perspective from 'my child-centered' to 'our children's community.' School is a place where parents and teachers cooperate, not a place of conflict. When parents respect and support teachers, children learn true respect and responsibility.

This incident is not just a problem in one area of Jeju. It is a cross-section of the nationwide spread of teacher's rights infringement and selfish parental culture. The prosecution must send a social message through strict indictment and punishment without further delay. False accusations and threats are not simple crimes, but serious crimes that threaten the educational ecosystem and future generations. At the same time, society as a whole must engage in public discourse and institutional improvement to restore teacher's rights. The Ministry of Education, local governments, parent organizations, and teacher organizations must put their heads together to come up with effective measures.

The future of the nation begins in the classroom. If an environment where teachers can confidently teach and students can learn with respect is not restored, any economic growth or technological development will be hollow. Beyond selfish psychology and excessive competition, we must return to education as a 'community that raises children together.' I hope that all parents will deeply reflect on this Jeju incident. If you truly want a bright future for your child, you should not burden the teacher's shoulders, but carry the burden together. Only then can our children grow into true adults.