People fill the sidewalk outside an elementary school in Seoul’s Seocho District on July 20 to mourn the passing of a teacher found dead in her classroom from an apparent suicide. (Baek So-ah/The Hankyoreh)
An elementary school teacher was found dead in her classroom in Seoul’s Seocho District in an apparent suicide on Tuesday. Claims that the deceased took her life amid ongoing conflicts with demanding parents have led to a public outpouring of grief, with hundreds of fellow teachers paying their respects.This incident followed another in which a teacher in Seoul’s Yangcheon District was assaulted by one of her students.Teachers outlined their experiences of dealing with malicious complaints from parents and called for measures to be put in place to protect teachers. On Thursday, hundreds of mourners laid countless memorial wreaths in front of the school where the deceased had worked and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Among those paying their respects were fellow teachers demanding a thorough investigation of the case. Amid the unanticipated outpouring of grief, education authorities are stepping forward to take appropriate measures, such as preparing a bill to protect the rights of teachers.A line of more than 300 mourners stretching some 200 meters filled the sidewalk bordering the elementary school where the deceased took her life.Most were dressed in black and held white chrysanthemums, a symbol of mourning, in their hands. More than 500 mourning wreaths were left by teachers.The school’s main gate was covered in messages written by those paying their respects, with notes reading “As a senior teacher, I am sorry that I couldn’t protect you,” and “Who protects the rights of teachers?”The death of a young teacher has triggered many educators who have felt that their schools fail to provide adequate safety nets. For them, this is personal.
