South Korea to limit number of times day care centres need to respond to needless parent complaints
According to the new guidelines, the parent or legal guardian of a child can issue a complaint about a disciplinary action against a child within 14 days. PHOTO: AFP
SEOUL - The South Korean government plans to set up a guideline for operation of day care centres to prevent actions that may hinder the operations of child care facilities such as parents repeatedly issuing complaints for no good reason.
The Ministry of Education reportedly issued an administrative notification ahead of implementing the guideline, with will specify the rights imposed on teachers and management of the day care centers. This follows Education Minister Lee Ju-ho — currently doubling as acting president — pledging in May to set up a criteria distinguishing 'justified guidance from child abuse crimes'.
According to the new guidelines, the parent or legal guardian of a child can issue a complaint about a disciplinary action against a child within 14 days. The head of the day care centre is mandated to respond to a complaint within the 14 days it was made.
But if the same complaint is made repeatedly without justifiable cause, the day care centre can refuse to reply after responding to the matter twice.
The guideline specified that members of the day care centre may implement measures for guidance on a range of issues: matters related to the growth and development of children, those that may inflict health and danger of children or other people, those that infringe justified child care duties of those working for the centre or other children's right to be cared for, along with possession and use of items that can influence the overall atmosphere of the class.
As such, teachers and heads of day care centres can guide the child on matters such as manners, use of language and overall communication, conflicts within children, and the attitude towards particularly vulnerable children. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Get the ST Smart Parenting newsletter for expert advice. Visit the microsite for more
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Straits Times
South Korean taxi driver under fire for sexually harassing Thai tourist
According to a video posted by a Thai woman, her friend was verbally harassed while taking a taxi in Seoul. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH SEOUL - A South Korean taxi driver is facing public backlash after allegedly making a sexually inappropriate comment to a Thai tourist, raising safety concerns among travellers. According to a video posted on June 19 by a Thai woman in her 30s, her friend was verbally harassed while taking a taxi to Seoul Station to board a KTX train to Busan. She posted the video on TikTok with a warning that read, 'Be careful when taking taxis in Korea.' The driver, attempting to communicate using a translation app, allegedly asked inappropriate personal questions such as 'Do you have a boyfriend?' and 'Why aren't you married yet?' He then suggested he could help her find a job, saying: 'It's not hard. You just need to clean rooms.' When the alleged victim mentioned she was travelling to Busan, the driver reportedly responded, 'Shall we go to Busan in this taxi?' and added, 'If you don't have money for the fare, you can pay with your body.' The account owner said the most frightening moment for her friend was when the driver stopped the car and kept talking to her. Before reaching the destination, he gave her his phone number and asked when she would return to South Korea. 'Korea is a safe country and has many good people,' the Thai national wrote in the caption, 'but don't assume it is 100 per cent safe.' The video quickly spread on social media, prompting outrage among South Korean netizens. Many condemned the driver's behaviour, calling it 'a disgrace to the country' and noting that such incidents unfairly damage the reputation of other taxi drivers. Some users left apologetic comments on the TikTok account, with one writing, 'As a Korean, I'm sincerely sorry', and another added, 'You came to Korea expecting good memories, but now you're leaving with a traumatic experience. As someone who loves Thailand, I'm truly sorry.' THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Straits Times
9 months' jail for former primary school teacher who touched seven-year-old pupil in class
The father of three was given a discharge amounting to acquittal on two similar charges ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG 9 months' jail for former primary school teacher who touched seven-year-old pupil in class SINGAPORE – A former primary school Chinese teacher has been sentenced to nine months' jail after he admitted to using criminal force on his pupil with the intention to outrage her modesty. The father of three was given a discharge amounting to acquittal on two similar charges. These charges were not read out in court. On June 20, District Judge Lim Tse Haw said the man, 38, had breached a sacred trust between him and his pupil – for whom he was the Chinese language and form teacher . Sometime around 2019, the seven-year-old pupil approached the man to find out the name of a song he had played in class earlier. As she approached the man, who was sitting down near the front of the classroom, the man reached out and touched the pupil underneath her school skirt. They were alone at the front of the class at this time, as the other pupils were queuing up to go for recess. After three years, she decided to confide her experience to the school's vice- principal in April 2022 . A police report was then made. The judge said: 'Teachers are held in high regard by society. By virtue of the trust we ( place) in them to impart knowledge and good moral values in our students, parents therefore entrust their children in the good hands of our teachers for these reasons.' He pointed out that the pupil in this case was just seven years old. There is a gag order imposed to protect her identity. 'Although the touch was fleeting and did not intrude into her private parts, there was skin on skin contact with her inner thigh under her skirt – a sensitive part of the female body.' The judge added: 'The psychological harm, which included suicidal thoughts and potential problems with interpersonal relationships later in life, could be prolonged.' The Ministry of Education had previously told The Straits Times that the man had been dismissed in April 2022, and that he is no longer teaching in any school. For each count of molesting a child below 14 years old, an offender can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Straits Times
N. Korea flag disrupts S. Korea church livestream in ‘hacking incident'
The incident occurred early in the morning of June 18, when the livestream was abruptly filled with the North Korean flag. PHOTO: REUTERS SEOUL - One of South Korea's largest megachurches said on June 20 its YouTube worship service was briefly hacked during a live broadcast to display the North Korean flag, with a government agency saying it was checking the details. The incident occurred early in the morning of June 18 , when the livestream of the service by the Onnuri Church was abruptly filled with the North Korean flag, accompanied by what appeared to be Pyongyang's propaganda music. The flag was displayed for about 20 seconds, a church official told AFP, adding that the incident had been reported to the police. 'During the early morning worship service on June 18, an unexpected video was broadcast due to a hacking incident,' the church said in a separate statement. 'We are currently conducting an urgent investigation into the cause of the incident and will take appropriate measures as soon as the situation is clarified.' South Korea's state-run Korea Internet & Security Agency told AFP it was 'looking into the case'. Another Protestant church in Seoul, the Naesoo-Dong Church, told AFP it also experienced a similar hacking incident shortly before its YouTube worship service early Wednesday morning. An 'inappropriate' video was displayed for about 50 seconds due to an 'external hacking' attack, Pastor Oh Shin-young told AFP, adding that the footage had no apparent connection to North Korea. South Korea, widely recognised as among the most wired countries in the world, has long been a target of cyber hacking by North Korea, which has been blamed for several major attacks in the past. Police announced in 2024 that North Korean hackers were behind the theft of sensitive data from a South Korean court computer network – including individuals' financial records – over a two-year period. The stolen data amounted to more than 1GB . Also in 2024 , Seoul's spy agency said North Korean spies were using LinkedIn to pose as recruiters and entice South Koreans working in defence companies so the spies could access information on the firms' technology. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
