Members of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations chant slogans at an emergency press conference in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 15, Teachers' Day. [NEWS1]
A growing number of Korean educators are taking out insurance policies that offer protection from students and their parents, covering sexual harassment, defamation, assault and the cost of defending themselves in lawsuits.
Nearly 10,000 teachers have now enrolled, more than six times the figure in 2018.
In one recent case, a female teacher learned that obscene graffiti depicting her had appeared in a boys' bathroom at her school. The drawing showed a recognizable likeness of her, along with sexual slang and slurs describing lewd acts. An investigation later found that some male students had spent months looking at the drawing together, using it to mock her.
The teacher reported the case to her school's teacher rights protection committee, received protective measures and is now receiving counseling.
"Beyond the sexual humiliation, my authority and dignity as an educator have been seriously damaged," the teacher said.
As of May 2026, the rider covering violations of teachers' rights had 9,312 subscribers, Hana Insurance said Tuesday. The number has climbed from 1,477 in 2018 to 6,115 in 2020, 7,129 in 2022 and 9,065 in 2024, a roughly 6.3-fold rise over eight years.
With about 430,000 teachers working in Korean elementary and secondary schools, the figure means about 2.3 percent of all teachers are now covered.
Hana Insurance is currently the only Korean nonlife insurer authorized to sell the teacher rider, holding exclusive sales rights for the product.
Payouts under the rider have also climbed. The insurer paid out eight claims in 2018, 106 in 2022, 215 in 2023, 132 in 2024 and 168 in 2025. Another 53 claims had already been paid in the first five months of 2026. Defamation, insults and student noncompliance accounted for 81 percent of payouts.
Sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence made up 6 percent, while injury and assault accounted for another 6 percent.
Demand for legal cost coverage tied to potential lawsuits from parents has been climbing especially fast. The number of subscriptions covering professional liability for teachers stood at 9,743 as of May 2026, roughly four times the 2,377 in 2018.
A separate rider that covers legal fees in criminal proceedings, launched last year, has already drawn 569 subscribers.
"In the past, coverage was focused mainly on physical injury, but recently we've seen a significant rise in interest in legal cost protection for things like defamation, insult, sexual harassment and criminal defense fees," a Hana Insurance representative said.
"Teachers are now treating legal disputes as a major risk, not just physical danger."
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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