One in Five Teachers Says They Faced Complaints of "Leftist Indoctrination" Even During Normal Lessons

Two Out of Three Citizens Say "Citizenship Education in Schools Is Insufficient"

64% Express Concerns About Teachers' Political Bias

One in five teachers has experienced complaints alleging a violation of political neutrality, claiming "leftist indoctrination," simply for explaining or teaching about the May 18 Democratic Uprising in accordance with the textbook as part of normal educational activities, according to a recent survey.

On the 13th, the Yeomyeong history club and the Disabled Rights Student Club, a democratic human rights and peace club, at Gwangju Advanced High School visited the National May 18th Democratic Cemetery in Mangwoldong to commemorate the May 18th Democratic Uprising week. They conducted a memorial activity to inherit the value of May 18 through the communal spirit of democracy, human rights, and peace, and to promote living history education. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) held a press conference at its main conference room in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on July 9 and announced the results of its "Survey on Infringement of Teachers' Educational Rights and Cases of Political Complaints."

According to a survey conducted nationwide by the KTU from November 3 to 9 last year, out of 1,937 teacher respondents, 391 (20.2%) reported having received a complaint or protest claiming a violation of political neutrality regarding normal educational activities. Additionally, 169 teachers (8.7%) said they had been threatened with a report or lawsuit, and 39 (2.0%) had actually gone through legal procedures such as being reported or sued.

In the open-ended responses, the most common cases were related to history education. For example, during a 5th-grade social studies class covering the Japanese colonial period, the March 1st Movement, and the patriot Yu Gwansun, there were complaints that "the teacher and school curriculum are biased towards the left." Even when the May 18 Democratic Uprising was explained according to the textbook content, some teachers received protests accusing them of "leftist indoctrination" or being "communist." There were also responses that using materials based on historical events, such as the films "Spring in Seoul" and "A Taxi Driver," led to complaints.

The complaints also included modern political systems and citizenship education. For instance, when a 6th-grade teacher asked students to bring election brochures from home for a social studies class, some parents protested, saying, "Do not have this kind of lesson."

According to the KTU, in-depth interviews conducted with 10 key education stakeholders—teachers, students, and parents—from April 8 to May 11 this year confirmed that the prerequisite for citizenship education in schools is the guarantee of teachers' educational rights.

At the press conference, the KTU also presented the results of a survey showing that many citizens desire stronger citizenship education in schools. In a poll of 5,000 people aged 16 to under 70, conducted by MicroMill Embrain at the request of the KTU Policy Research Institute from April 17 to 22, 66.0% of respondents said the current level of citizenship education in schools is insufficient. Only 18.9% said it was sufficient.

Respondents were generally positive about democratic citizenship education in schools. 83.7% agreed with citizenship education in schools, and 82.4% believed that education on real political issues and social problems is necessary for students. When asked, "Where should students primarily learn about real political issues and social problems?" 66.4% answered school, 14.6% family, 6.3% TV, and 5.6% online (such as YouTube or social media).

While respondents acknowledged the need for citizenship education, they also expressed concerns about possible political bias from teachers. Regarding worries about lessons on real political issues and social problems, 63.6% cited "distorted perspectives due to teachers' political bias" as the main concern. This was followed by "concerns about conflict and confusion in schools due to politically sensitive topics," at 16.2%.

The KTU Policy Research Institute stated, "There is a growing social demand for citizenship education in schools, but educational activities are being constrained due to politically biased complaints, ambiguous interpretations of political neutrality, and a lack of protective measures for teachers. An environment must be created where teachers can provide citizenship education."

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