7 in 10 South Korean teachers witness student hate speech, historical distortion: survey

A recent survey by the Korean Teachers' and Education Workers' Union (KTUW) reveals a disturbing trend in South Korean schools, with a significant majority of teachers reporting exposure to students' hate speech, discriminatory language, and historical distortions. The survey, conducted among 1,109 teachers and 1,636 students from middle to high school, found that 73.9% of teachers directly witnessed such expressions in student speech, assignments, or presentations over the past year. When including secondhand accounts, this figure rises to 89.3% of teachers encountering hate speech in school settings.

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We call the May 18th democratization movement the ‘Gwangju riot,’ and we shout ‘Fighting Tank Day’ during class.

Middle school teachers reported the highest incidence of witnessing these expressions, at 81.7%, compared to elementary and high school teachers. The union noted that online slang and memes have permeated public learning spaces beyond private conversations. The most prevalent form of hate speech involved mocking the deaths or tragedies of political and historical figures, with 88.9% of teachers reporting at least one instance, and 58.2% encountering it frequently. This was closely followed by discriminatory remarks against women, LGBTQ+ individuals, the disabled, and immigrants (86.8%), and expressions demeaning specific generations, professions, or social classes (81.8%). Distortions or trivialization of historical events were also reported by 80.5% of teachers.

The survey was prompted by a controversy involving baseball players from Baejae High School allegedly mocking the May 18th Gwangju Democratization Movement. Teachers largely viewed this incident not as an isolated act by a few students but as a reflection of the broader online hate culture. A significant 88.4% of respondents believed the incident stemmed from the spread of online hate culture rather than isolated student behavior. The primary causes identified were the proliferation of online hate content and communities (94.0%), followed by inflammatory language used by politicians and media (74.4%).

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During a school trip to Jeju Island, students shouted ‘멸공’ (anti-communism) at Chinese tourists, which was very embarrassing.

Despite the prevalence of the issue, teachers find it challenging to address hate speech in the classroom. The most cited reason was the fear of being accused of violating political neutrality (69.9%), followed by concerns about parental complaints or external attacks (60.1%), and student backlash due to their familiarity with online culture (47.0%).

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Teacher, I have a gift for you. It’s an owl cake.

Student responses mirrored the teachers' findings, with 53.5% of middle and high school students reporting exposure to mockery based on appearance, grades, family background, region, or speech. Content mocking the deaths or tragedies of public figures was encountered by 51.2%, derogatory remarks about specific regions by 47.7%, and trivialization of historical events or victims by 46.8%. YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok were identified as primary sources for encountering such content, with school conversations also playing a role. Notably, 80.6% of students agreed that mocking historical pain is problematic, while only 2.9% felt it was acceptable among friends. However, many students hesitate to intervene, fearing being labeled as overly sensitive (35.9%) or that the issue might escalate (30.5%). The KTUW emphasized the need for safe counseling and support systems to ensure students feel secure when reporting such incidents.

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When announcing my ideal type, I said it was a woman who cooks well.