[Photo caption: Aside from classes taught by the homeroom teacher such as Korean, Math, Social Studies, and English, the rest are conducted by subject-specific teachers, support teachers, or external instructors.]

At Jeonju M Elementary School, controversy is growing after Teacher C, a former head of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU), took on the role of homeroom teacher for a six-student class that includes the children of parents he had previously filed criminal complaints against.

The parents are calling on the Jeonbuk Office of Education to implement effective protective measures, stating that "the children are frightened, and their right to education is being violated." In December of last year, Teacher C posted on social media that he had filed criminal complaints against Parents A and B, adding, "Upon reinstatement, I requested a transfer to Jeonju M Elementary School." He also stated, "Although my transfer score is low, if there's no competition, I expect to be assigned to the PD Notebook class as homeroom teacher." He went on to write, "I’m afraid of how to face the parents as their children’s homeroom teacher after having filed criminal complaints against them for false child abuse reports and malicious complaints."

The "false child abuse report" C referred to involves the so-called “Red Card Incident,” which the Jeonbuk Office of Education's Student Human Rights Committee had previously judged as a case of student rights violation in 2021. Even during the Moon Jae-in administration, the courts ruled that the teacher's actions constituted child abuse. However, under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the Supreme Court later reversed the decision. This reversal led Jeonbuk Superintendent Seo Geo-seok to label the victim’s parents as "malicious complainants" and proceed with filing a complaint, sparking an unprecedented situation. Influenced by this, some elementary school teachers participated in a witch hunt, accusing the parents based on false information, which eventually led to police investigations. Furthermore, defamatory and false reports about the parents were widely circulated in the media, leading to ongoing legal disputes between the parents and some media outlets. After Teacher C filed the criminal complaints against Parents A and B, the police quickly issued a "no charges" decision. Superintendent Seo also filed multiple revised complaints against Parent A, all of which were dismissed as groundless.

The recent rekindling of this controversy in the media stems from the Jeonbuk Office of Education's approval of Teacher C’s attempt to become the homeroom teacher of the children involved in ongoing legal disputes.

Common sense would suggest that such a situation should never be allowed, especially given that Teacher C publicly announced his intention to become their homeroom teacher via social media. A teacher who filed criminal charges against a student's parents now being in direct charge of that student inevitably inflicts severe psychological pressure on the child. The Jeonbuk Office of Education is now facing strong criticism for having tacitly allowed this.

The parents have stated, "We are persuading our children, who are afraid to go to school, just to attend class each day," and are demanding "an educational environment where students can feel safe and focus on learning, actual support to protect their right to education, and a responsible response from the education office."

The case has also sparked debate among teachers. A fellow teacher in the KTU, where C previously served as a local chapter head, criticized, "For a teacher with a history of conflict with the parents to deliberately take on the role of homeroom teacher for that class is a violation of basic professional ethics." Meanwhile, concerns are rising that "some elementary teachers are treating C’s actions as heroic, which is becoming an even bigger problem."