An Incheon high school teacher who suggested that women who do not give birth should be imprisoned is now under police investigation, education authorities said Wednesday.
The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it will refer the case to law enforcement on suspicion that the teacher’s remarks may fall under violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes.
The controversy erupted after a two-minute audio recording of the teacher’s comments, made during a class at an all-girls high school, went viral on social media.
In the recording, the teacher criticized a past Constitutional Court ruling that declared the military service points system — a policy that compensates those who served in the military — unconstitutional.
Comparing childbirth to mandatory military service for men, the teacher said "I think that’s the worst ruling ever. ... If a man doesn’t serve in the military, he goes to jail. But no woman has ever been imprisoned for not giving birth."
“Childbirth is not an obligation. And that’s why our fertility rate is now 0.67. Women of childbearing age who don’t have children should be sent to prison. That’s what gender equality would look like,” he added.
The remarks triggered swift backlash online, with many demanding disciplinary action.
“It’s deeply inappropriate to implant such biased views in students,” one comment read.
Officials concluded that the teacher's remarks may have constituted verbal abuse toward students.
In addition to the police referral, the education office said it will conduct an official audit of the teacher and investigate whether his actions breached the Code of Conduct for public educators.
“We are looking into the full context of how such remarks came to be made,” the office stated, adding that a broader set of measures would be introduced to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
