The Korean Federation of Teachers ‘Associations(KFTA)expressed concern over the news of the production of the drama’ My Beloved Elementary School Student ‘, which is based on a romantic relationship between a female teacher and an elementary school student.

On the 1st, the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations issued an official statement, saying, “Recently, news of the production of the drama ‘My Beloved Elementary School Student’ was reported through the media, and concerns are growing not only in the educational community but also in society.We express our deep regret and concern about this, and strongly urge an immediate halt to production, considering the negative impact the drama will have on society and education, as well as the potential violence it may cause to children and adolescents.”

The Korean Federation of Teachers ‘Associations pointed out that, “Teachers are in a position to form trusting relationships with the students they teach, and to devote themselves to education with a higher level of morality and professionalism than other professions.” The statement continued, “The narrative of abusing this position to share personal feelings with a minor student and developing this into a romantic relationship is a clear glorification of a grooming crime that can never be dismissed as romance or fantasy.”

He explained, “Attempts to sexualize children under the pretext of creativity and artistic originality can never be justified.The subject matter of the drama will tarnish the reputation of all educators who devote themselves to the field of education and will cause deep distrust in the entire teaching community.This is an act that shakes the foundation of education, which is trust between teachers, students, and parents.”

The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations emphasized, “If these works are consumed by the public as romance or fantasy, there is a very high risk that they will dilute the seriousness of grooming crimes that occur in reality and spread the wrong perception that they are trivialized.” They also said, “This will inevitably have a negative psychological and emotional impact on child actors who have to portray sensitive material in dramas.It is inevitable that exposing children to such dangers for commercial gain will be criticized as another form of violence.”

He also said, “Inappropriate relationships between priests are acts that undermine the educational and moral values that educators must uphold and destroy the foundation of education.This is absolutely unacceptable and must be sounded as a warning through strict punishment.”

The Korean Federation of Teachers ‘Associations stated, “We agree that freedom of creation in the cultural and artistic fields should be sufficiently guaranteed.However, in a reality where even the legitimate educational activities of teachers are becoming targets of indiscriminate child abuse reports, depicting teachers as perpetrators of grooming crimes against students only further undermines trust in the educational field.” They added, “We strongly condemn the drama production company’s lack of responsibility, which has led to distrust in education and has abandoned social norms and ethics regarding child protection.”

Meanwhile, ▲ drama production companies and broadcasting companies should immediately withdraw their plans to produce and air dramas that hinder the healthy growth of children and tarnish the reputation of the teaching profession, ▲ the Korea Communications Standards Commission and other relevant organizations should thoroughly review and strictly deliberate the social harmfulness and child protection aspects of the content in question, and ▲ institutional devices should be strengthened to eradicate the production of content that may undermine the protection of children and adolescents and educational value in the future.

The Korean Federation of Teachers ‘Associations said, “We will continue to work hard to protect the reputation of educators and restore trust in the educational field.We will respond to the end to prevent damage to the authority of teachers nationwide and the distribution of non-educational and anti-social content targeting children.”

Kang Joo-ho, the president of the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations, also said, “Turning the trust between teachers and students into a distorted narrative is an act of trivializing education,” and “The damage will ultimately come back to the students who are left behind in school and the teachers who remain silent.”

Meanwhile, ‘The Elementary School Student I Love’ is a webtoon that depicts the story of an elementary school teacher who broke up with her lover and realizes that the character she met in a game was actually her student.The original platform CNC Revolution and the production company Meta New Line recently finalized the copyright contract for the work and officially announced the production of the drama.It is known that director Jeong Seong-hyeon will be in charge of directing and writer Jeong Se-hyeok will be in charge of the script.

Hong Se-young, reporter for Donga.com projecthong@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.