80% of teachers in Gangwon experienced students' online hate, mockery: union

A significant majority of teachers in South Korea's Gangwon Province have encountered students using hateful and mocking language, according to a recent survey. The Gangwon branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU) released findings indicating that 80.8% of 959 surveyed teachers reported witnessing students employ such expressions within school settings. These online behaviors include hate speech, political memes, and mockery of politicians.

The survey, conducted online from May 17-26, also revealed that 28.5% of teachers experienced students using inappropriate language related to current events, such as discussions about martial law, Starbucks controversies, and regional disparagement. Of the 700 teachers who had attempted to guide students on their extreme expressions, 66.4% found the task difficult. The primary reason cited for this difficulty was the burden of potential accusations of political bias or neutrality violations.

The KTU argues that the issue extends beyond mere inappropriate language, pointing to the infiltration of hate speech, historical distortion, regional and gender-based discrimination into classrooms. They criticized the lack of institutional support for teachers to address these issues effectively. "In a reality where teachers who try to stop hate speech must worry about accusations of political bias, proper guidance and democratic citizenship education are impossible," stated Jo Young-guk, head of the KTU's Gangwon branch. The union is demanding immediate action from the Gangwon Provincial Office of Education to create response manuals and protective measures for teachers.

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In a reality where teachers who try to stop hate speech must worry about accusations of political bias, proper guidance and democratic citizenship education are impossible.