A group of people make their choices on their ballots in private voting booths set up on a long table. [GETTY IMAGES PRO]
Teachers who allegedly tried to politically influence students are drawing scrutiny ahead of Korea's June 3 local elections, with critics saying vague rules and inconsistent enforcement are fueling the controversy.
The 2019 revision to the Public Official Election Act lowered the voting age to 18, making a significant portion of high school seniors eligible voters. The National Election Commission (NEC) says anyone born before June 5, 2008 can vote in the upcoming election, which equates to roughly 40 percent of current high school seniors.
In tandem with the growing number of eligible student voters, complaints from students and parents about teachers' political remarks have been rising steadily.
Complaints filed with the Ministry of Education on the issue grew from 28 in 2023 to 75 in 2025, according to data obtained by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Seung-su.
A recent instance involved a teacher at a private high school in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, who was suspended from duties and removed from the classroom last month after student reports to the NEC, according to the Gyeonggi Office of Education. The teacher allegedly encouraged students during class to sign up as members of a preliminary candidate's electoral panel for the superintendent of education race.
One of the teacher's students said that the teacher had circulated a text message containing a sign-up link and offered to buy ice cream for those who joined. “He had often made remarks supporting a particular political party before,” the student told the JoongAng Ilbo. “But we had no choice but to laugh it off, because we were worried it might affect our school records.”
In February, an elementary school teacher attending a counseling teachers' forum in Jeonju, North Jeolla, was photographed sitting at a table bearing a nameplate identifying a preliminary superintendent candidate's campaign. When questions arose about possible election interference, the campaign called it an administrative mix-up, but the election commission referred the case to police for investigation.
In 2024, an elementary school nutrition teacher received a warning after distributing a school meal plan containing a phrase that appeared to reference voting for a specific political party.
Critics say the problem is compounded by the government's simultaneous push to expand teachers' basic political rights, without first clarifying what kinds of political expression are permitted and what crosses the line. “There is a need to first establish clear criteria and procedures for determining whether political neutrality has been violated in the course of educational activities,” said Lee Sang-cheol, director of the Busan Education Research & Information Institute. “Disciplinary standards also need to be more detailed, taking into account factors such as whether the remarks were repeated and whether students were given opportunities to express opposing views.”
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.
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