Signal South Korean teacher disciplined over 5-second video of disruptive students, sparking abuse-definition debate

Summary

A contract teacher at a middle school in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, was reported for child abuse after filming disruptive students on a smartphone for five seconds to calm them during class. Education authorities investigated and ruled that filming the students' faces without consent, causing them discomfort, constituted emotional child abuse. As a result, the teacher was removed from homeroom duties. The teacher also received an official warning as disciplinary action. The case sparked debate over the scope of child abuse definitions in classroom management situations.