Real-life teacher protection agency launches in Gyeonggi
Inspired by Netflix's “Teach You a Lesson,” the new agency will handle teacher rights violations, abuse allegations and malicious complaints through direct legal support.
A still from Netflix's “Teach You a Lesson”NETFLIX
A fictional educational agency from the Netflix hit series “Teach You a Lesson” has become a real-life organization in Gyeonggi.
“Teachers would no longer be left alone,” Gyeonggi’s education superintendent An Min-suk said Monday while signing a management protocol over the so-called teachers’ rights protection agency.
Led by An himself, the agency will oversee cases involving violations of teachers' rights, allegations of child abuse and malicious civil complaints against educators.
The agency consists of two core units: the teacher rights protection 119 team and the integrated legal support team. Its tasks and handlings will be directly reported to the superintendent.
The teacher rights protection 119 team will be a group of around 50 dedicated officers protecting teachers’ rights. Each officer, selected through an open selection process, will provide one-on-one support to affected teachers from the initial report through the conclusion of a case. The team will receive and process parents' complaints on teachers' behalf.
The integrated legal support team will work alongside the teachers’ rights team, with lawyers specializing in education law. The attorneys will conduct on-site investigations, provide legal advice and support litigation.
An Min-suk, then-elected Gyeonggi’s education superintendent, speaks in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on June 15.YONHAP
For the legal support team, the provincial authority will recruit education officials, current and retired teachers and external experts through an open application process by the end of this month.
“All complaints will be handled promptly under the responsibility of the teacher rights protection agency, and we will remain accountable through the recovery process as well,” An said.
“The provincial education office will stand by teachers — in case of their rights’ violations — from beginning to end so they do not have to shoulder the burden alone. We will build a protection system that allows teachers to focus on teaching without the pressure of complaints or lawsuits.”
An vowed to take full responsibility and restore trust in education within a year.
“Even if there are setbacks, I am prepared to take full responsibility for them as superintendent,” An said. “Within a year, I will do everything possible to restore teachers’ rights and rebuild public trust.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
