Teachers in South Korea Complain of "Mistreatment"

Teachers in South Korea plan to gather today, Monday, and refrain from work to demand better protection of their rights and to protest against the harassment from domineering parents that has led to the suicides of some of their colleagues. Dozens of teachers vowed to take a leave of absence to demonstrate. Government officials and school boards hastened to calm classroom unrest and promised to take legal steps for better protection of teachers. It was not immediately clear how many teachers did not enter classrooms, but local media reported that dozens of schools across the country are expected to close due to teachers' work stoppage. The office of President Yoon Suk-yeol stated that he instructed officials today, Monday, to listen to the teachers' demands and work on protecting their rights. In July, an elementary school teacher was found dead at school after reportedly expressing concern over a parent's complaint regarding a disagreement between students. Since then, teachers nationwide have been organizing protests and demonstrations on weekends in mourning for her death. Data from the World Health Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development indicate that South Korea has the highest suicide rate among developed countries, with more than 20 people per 100,000 residents taking their own lives.