Parents blackmail teacher who caught student's SAT cheating

The Ministry of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education have decided to file a police report against parents who allegedly blackmailed the test supervisor who caught their child cheating during the Korean SAT this year. The parents threatened to ruin the supervisor's life. The decision to file the police report is based on the Special Act on the Improvement of Teachers' Status and Their Educational Activities, which mandates reporting to the police when an act violating teachers' rights is deemed equivalent to a criminal offense. This marks the first instance of the Education Ministry taking a leading role as a key accuser.

On Friday, the Ministry and the education office jointly announced filing a police report against parents. They cited threats made to the test supervisor through an on-site protest at the victim's school and inappropriate phone calls. These actions were deemed to compromise the fairness of the Korean SAT and amount to crimes including defamation and blackmail. The Ministry's assertiveness in this specific case is considered exceptionally strong. Officials emphasized the significance of addressing violations of teachers' rights.

According to the ministry, the Seoul education office, and the Seoul Teachers’ Union, the parents' child reportedly altered the markings with correction tape after the conclusion of the fourth session of the Korean SAT on Nov. 16. Merely holding a pen after the bell rang is deemed as cheating.

On Nov. 17, the student's mother protested with a picket, demanding the teacher's expulsion in front of the school where the supervisor works. The student's father, a lawyer, threatened to ruin the teacher's life and even trespassed into the school. The Union for Secondary School Teachers welcomed the ministry and the education office's actions, expressing that middle school teachers have been deeply shocked and hurt by the incident. They further noted that their worry and fear will only escalate without proper protection of the teachers’ fundamental rights.


Seong-Ho Hwang hsh0330@donga.com