Middle school teacher suffers concussion after allegedly being pushed by student in Gwangju
Published: 15 Apr. 2026, 19:26
![The building of Gwangju Metropolitan City Office of Education in Seo District, Gwangju [GWANGJU METROPOLITAN CITY OFFICIE OF EDUCATION]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/15/5d7eb003-cdc2-46ba-90bd-2e9b08a3a5cc.jpg)
The building of Gwangju Metropolitan City Office of Education in Seo District, Gwangju [GWANGJU METROPOLITAN CITY OFFICIE OF EDUCATION]
A middle school teacher suffered a concussion after allegedly being pushed by a student, according to the Gwangju Metropolitan City Office of Education on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on March 27 when a 7th-grade male student got into an argument with a teacher in the school office and pushed the teacher to the ground in Seo District, Gwangju, a city 270 kilometers (168 miles) south of Seoul.
The student is reported to have clashed with the teacher after the teacher criticized his conversational manner and attitude.
After being pushed, the teacher struck their head on the edge of a desk, suffering an impact so severe that it caused convulsions before emergency responders arrived.
The teacher was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. After two days of hospitalization, the teacher was discharged but reportedly continues to suffer from dizziness and headaches.
The teacher is currently on official medical leave and is recovering at home, while a substitute instructor has been assigned to the class.
Following the incident, parents of students in the same grade submitted a collective petition to the city’s education office through e-People, the government’s online petition system, on March 31, calling for measures to protect students’ right to learn and teachers’ right to conduct educational activities.
![Students at a middle school in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, study in their classroom on Sept. 4, 2025. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/15/4ad24513-d1da-4ab7-93c7-d4620c07e6ac.jpg)
Students at a middle school in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, study in their classroom on Sept. 4, 2025. [YONHAP]
“[This incident] should never have happened,” said Park Sam-won, head of the Gwangju Teachers’ Union. "The Office of Education and the principal need to take responsibility and implement measures to prevent a recurrence."
The school has suspended the student from attending classes pending a meeting of the regional Teachers' Authority Protection Committee. The city's Office of Education is also providing group counseling to students in the class.
“Special leave and sick leave were provided to support the teacher’s recovery,” an official from the education office said. “We plan to convene a Teachers’ Rights Protection Committee later this month to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident and discuss response measures.”
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.
BY KO SEUNG-PYO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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