"Feeling Nauseous": Victimized Teacher Not Separated from Student Who Sent Sexually Harassing Letter

Although the Student Was Transferred to Another Class,
Teacher Continues to Encounter Them During Lessons
Teacher Takes Medical Leave, Education Office Promises "We Will Assign a Dedicated Officer"

A teachers' association has called for countermeasures after a teacher, who suffered a violation of teachers' rights—such as receiving a letter from a second-year high school student under their homeroom supervision stating, "I imagined everything possible related to sexual desire"—was not adequately separated from the problematic student.

Sexual harassment image. Photo by The Asia Business Daily DB

According to Yonhap News and the Gyeonggi Teachers' Union on August 19, Teacher A, a homeroom teacher for second-year students at a high school in Gyeonggi Province, received a sexually harassing letter from student B, who is in the same class, on June 22.

In the letter, student B referred to Teacher A by name and included not only unilateral expressions of affection but also numerous threatening statements, demanding that the teacher reciprocate those feelings. A few days before handing over the letter, student B reportedly followed Teacher A to the teachers' office after class despite being told not to, and blocked the teacher from leaving work, refusing to comply with legitimate guidance.

The Hwaseong Osan Office of Education Regional Teacher Rights Protection Committee received the report from the aggrieved teacher and, after a review on July 16, ordered a class transfer for the student and mandated eight hours of special education. However, since Teacher A is the only person teaching their subject at the school, even after the class transfer, Teacher A still had to teach student B, who had been transferred to another class.

As the start of the second semester approached, Teacher A reportedly requested the school to explore alternatives such as having student B change electives, enroll in online supplementary courses, or hiring a part-time instructor, but these requests were not accepted. Ultimately, on August 18, Teacher A was unable to return to school for the start of the semester and had to take medical leave.

In a phone interview with Yonhap News, Teacher A said, "After reading the letter, I felt sexual humiliation and disgust, and experienced significant mental and physical stress, such as frequent dry heaving. I initially felt reassured by the Teacher Rights Protection Committee’s decision, believing I would not have to face the student again, but upon learning that I still had to teach them after the semester started, the stress returned and I began dry heaving again."

Teacher A added, "Even though I have been recognized as the victim, the perpetrator's rights were prioritized. For teachers like me, who are solely responsible for their subject, the fact that there is no means of protection other than forced transfer is an unreasonable flaw in the system that needs to be addressed."

They further stated, "The separation of victim and perpetrator is largely at the discretion of each school principal, creating a blind spot in the teacher protection system. Just because the committee's review is over, I feel abandoned without support from the school, the regional office of education, or the provincial office of education."

A representative of the Gyeonggi Teachers' Union commented, "This incident clearly exposes the gaps in the current system for protecting victimized teachers. Legal and institutional improvements are needed to reflect real-world conditions, such as ensuring a complete separation of teaching paths." An official from the provincial office of education stated, "After the inauguration of the Teacher Rights Protection Officer on August 22, we will urgently assign a dedicated officer to support the affected teacher next week."

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