As the Netflix drama "True Education" is a hit, debate is spreading in the education sector over creating a dedicated organization to protect teachers' rights. Following the South Chungcheong Provincial Office of Education's announcement that it would run a teachers' rights protection officer under the superintendent, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Jeju and South Gyeongsang are also reviewing setting up related bodies. The idea is to establish a separate support system so teachers do not have to shoulder malicious complaints, child abuse reports and litigation burdens alone.
However, concerns are also being raised as the drama's fictional "teachers' rights protection bureau" is depicted solving school problems through coercive methods such as corporal punishment. Critics say real-world discussions on protecting teachers' rights should not pit teachers against students and parents. People in education say the priority is "not drama-style retribution but overhauling systems for responding to complaints and lawsuits."
◇ Debate over teachers' rights reignites on the success of "True Education"
According to the education sector on the 23rd, Gyeonggi superintendent-elect An Min-seok is reviewing the need to establish an "education activity protection bureau" and plans to hold a related forum at the National Assembly on the 25th. The forum will discuss teacher counseling, responses to malicious complaints, responses to child abuse reports, litigation support and conflict mediation systems.
South Chungcheong superintendent-elect Lee Byung-do also decided to operate a teachers' rights protection officer directly under the superintendent starting in July. The office will be staffed by lawyers, investigators, conflict mediation experts, counseling personnel and on-site response personnel. It is a one-stop structure that handles everything from initial counseling to legal support and on-site response when a teacher becomes entangled in complaints or disputes.
These moves by superintendent-elects are drawing attention in tandem with the success of the drama "True Education." Released on the 5th, the drama depicts a fictional organization, the "teachers' rights protection bureau," intervening on school sites to restore eroded teachers' authority. Immediately after its release, it ranked No. 1 for two consecutive weeks on Netflix's "Global Top 10 non-English shows."
In reality, controversies over violations of teachers' rights continue. According to the Ministry of Education, the number of meetings of regional teachers' rights protection committees that deliberate such cases rose from 1,197 in 2020 to 4,234 in 2024. In just the first half of last year, 2,189 cases were convened. As for measures against students who violated teachers' rights, attendance suspension and class changes were most common at 45%, followed by school and community service, completion of special education, transfers and expulsions.
◇ The system exists, but "on-the-ground impact is low"
Superintendent-elects explain they do not intend to solve problems through coercive means like in the drama. They say they will bring together functions for responding to malicious complaints, legal and litigation support, psychological recovery and conflict mediation in one place so teachers can focus on education activities.
The problem is that while systems and organizations related to protecting teachers' rights are already in operation, those in the field say the impact is limited. A representative example is the education activity protection center, which supports victimized teachers.
In the first half of last year, there were 52,930 support cases at education activity protection centers, but more than half—26,596—were simple consultations. Although the Ministry of Education introduced school complaint response teams starting in 2024, parents still directly contact homeroom teachers to file complaints.
What teachers find especially burdensome is child abuse reporting. Of 1,439 child abuse reports received against teachers from September 2023 to August 2025, 71% drew an opinion from the competent superintendent that they were "legitimate guidance." Ninety percent of closed cases ended in nonindictment or before police investigations began. This suggests the line between student guidance and child abuse reports still fuels on-site conflict.
Elementary school teacher A, 32, said, "During a swimming class, I asked a student to remove earrings for safety reasons, but the parent later filed a complaint saying the child developed an ear infection," and added, "We need to prevent situations where even guidance for student safety becomes grounds for complaints."
◇ "Prioritize responses to complaints and lawsuits over retribution"
Separately from the need for a dedicated organization to protect teachers' rights, some say drama-style solutions should not be applied in reality. Framing teachers' rights and student rights as opposing camps could intensify conflict within the school community.
The parents' group Political Moms said, "The top priority should be restoring the education community, not protecting teachers' rights," and noted, "To protect teachers, we also have to coexist with the majority of parents." Minister Choi Kyo-jin of the Ministry of Education also said at a parents' meeting the day before, "A fictional teachers' rights protection bureau may offer catharsis, but real education problems can change through respect, trust and cooperation, not retribution or confrontation."
Among teachers as well, many say the priority should be to overhaul systems for responding to malicious complaints and disputes rather than toughening student punishment. Some also point out that existing teachers' rights protection systems are scattered across several bodies, making it hard to actually get help. They say a control tower is needed to handle counseling, complaint responses, legal support and conflict mediation in one place.
Elementary school teacher B, 28, in the Gyeonggi region said, "At the teacher level, the only practical initial response is to guide parents to file complaints through the school's extension number," and added, "Even when we provide student guidance, there is a heavy burden that it could lead to parent complaints or disputes."
Lee Kang-a, a research fellow at the Democratic Research Institute, said, "Class disruption, malicious complaints and the chilling of student guidance ultimately undermine students' right to learn and classroom order," and added, "We need to build a state-responsibility control tower that integrates management of these issues."