'True Education' Craze Spreads Overseas... Push for 'Teacher Protection Law' Gains Momentum in This Country

Korean Drama "True Education" a Hit in Taiwan
Sparks Discussion on "Teachers' Disciplinary Authority Over Students"
Kuomintang Lawmaker Calls for Special Act... Ruling Party Also Supports

With the Korean drama 'True Education' gaining attention in Taiwan, the need for a special law to protect teachers' rights has once again been raised in local political circles.

Poster of the drama 'True Education'. Netflix

On June 29, Yonhap News reported, citing Taiwanese media such as China Times, that Ke Zhi-en, a legislator from the opposition Kuomintang and a former educational psychologist, recently called for the enactment of a "Special Act for the Protection of Teachers' Mental Health and Rights."

Legislator Ke explained that 'True Education,' the Korean drama depicting violence and infringements on teachers' rights in schools, deeply resonates with Taiwanese teachers and has sparked debate over teachers' authority to discipline students. She urged the Ministry of Education to move beyond bureaucratic thinking and take immediate action to protect teachers' rights.

'True Education' depicts the story of an inspector from a fictional “Teachers’ Rights Protection Bureau” under the Ministry of Education, who goes to great lengths, including violence and retribution, to restore order to a broken educational environment. The drama has attracted widespread attention both domestically and internationally for exposing the realities of public education in Korea.

Legislator Ke noted that Taiwanese teachers are continuously suffering psychological stress due to lawsuits related to educational activities, malicious complaints, and workplace bullying. She has repeatedly called for the enactment of a special law, adding that 5,313 citizens have participated in a related online petition.

Wu Peiyi, a legislator from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, also agreed on the need to strengthen occupational safety for teachers and emphasized that the legislature should discuss relevant bills in depth.

Voices from the field have also emerged. A high school teacher, who requested anonymity, revealed that in 'school incident review meetings,' over 800 cases were handled in just one year. This amounts to about two or three cases per day. The teacher lamented that even when incidents occur, they are often kept quiet internally due to concerns over damaging the school's reputation, protecting personal information, and issues of responsibility.

However, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education responded to the petition by stating, "The enactment of a special law must be reviewed together by multiple ministries, including the Ministry of Labor and the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, which handles government personnel. We will continue to gather diverse opinions and carefully evaluate the matter."

'True Education' ranked first in the Netflix global non-English TV show category for three consecutive weeks. In its third week after release (June 15-21), it recorded 11.8 million views and topped the charts in 19 countries, including Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, while ranking in the top 10 in 85 countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.