Bullying is a very sensitive issue in South Korea, with society coming down hard on anyone involved—or even rumored to be involved—in the act. The issue also appears in many Korean dramas with scenes that viewers may think are exaggerated. Speaking up about their experiences, a former teacher who taught in Korea revealed how true those bullying scenes are.
Content creator Queentiwa opened up about working as a teacher at a private school in Korea “where all of the students were rich.” The students had “top celebrities, top actors/actresses, top doctors” as parents. She confirmed the violent bullying scenes in Korean dramas were not exaggerated and were quite common.
Those K-Dramas are not lying! All that bullying sh*t? That is a hundred percent true!
— Queentiwa
Queentiwa expressed her frustration at not being able to help the students at the mercy of bullying, “And it’s like, we can’t do anything.” She shared why it was so difficult for teachers to step in.
With a reminder from off-screen, someone said, “You try stepping in, and you get reported.” Queentiwa agreed, “Every time I tried to intervene, I’d get in trouble.”
Queentiwa didn’t let the consequences stop her from helping the bullied students, remembering all the times she’d gotten into trouble for doing so. She said, “Obviously, I’m still going to intervene… But every single time, problems.” Students didn’t only direct their violence to fellow students, either.
Looking back on her experiences as a teacher in Korea, Queentiwa shared the time a student threatened her. She revealed, “I had a student put a scissor to my neck.”
Even though Queentiwa intervened whenever she saw bullying, that doesn’t mean most teachers were willing to do the same—especially when faced with celebrity parents who were said to get angry at the teachers over minor issues. With many schools, public and private, aiming to retain enrollment, they tend to ignore as many problems as they can. Since her experience was with young students, bullying among those in high school must be far worse.
Listen to Queentiwa’s unfortunate experience teaching abroad in Korea here.
