logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
13m 54s

Why are teachers bullied in South Korea?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Tens of thousands of teachers in South Korea have been striking to demand better protection. They say they are so scared of being called child abusers at work, they feel they can't discipline their students. The protests happened after the suicide of a young teacher. It later came out she had been dealing with severe complaints from parents. The BBC's Yuna Ku explains what it's like to be a teacher in a high-pressure society, like South Korea.

Also, the Burning Man festival in the US has been struggling with mud and also swirling fake rumours. We debunk the claims.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this episode, help and support can be found at this https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/ If you live in South Korea, you can visit https://www.129.go.kr/1393/ for help, or call LifeLine on 1588-9191 or the Suicide Prevention Hotline on 1577-0199.

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler, Mora Morrison, and Benita Barden Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

Up next
Aug 22
ID please! Why the UK is checking your age online
In the UK, if you want to watch pornography or see content on sites like X, Reddit and Discord that is deemed only suitable for people over 18 years old, you now need to provide your identification to prove you are old enough to access this material. The UK government says its On ... Show More
11m 33s
Aug 21
Why fake weddings are India’s latest party trend
The big fat 'fake' Indian wedding is social media’s latest party trend. Fake wedding parties have taken the world and social media by storm with people getting together to enjoy all the fun of a wedding party: the food, Bollywood music, dancing and glamorous outfits. But there ar ... Show More
10m 5s
Aug 20
Why the world is divided on plastic pollution
Life is full of plastic, but it’s not always fantastic. We know that plastic is super useful: it helps keep food fresh and lets medicines, like vaccines, be delivered at scale to billions of people. But the world is drowning in it. In fact, the amount of plastic on our planet now ... Show More
11 m
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
South Korea stands up to its bullies
"I'd rather hit than be hit" – the age-old mentality of a bully, and South Korea is tackling it head on. The country is undergoing a national reckoning on school bullying. Studies show that nearly one in three students suffered bullying from peers at school. And there has been an ... Show More
18m 50s
Oct 2024
'I was suicidal': The teachers being bullied by their colleagues
Over 300 teachers have told Sky News that they have been bullied by fellow teachers and colleagues at school.    Niall Paterson is joined by our correspondent Amelia Harper, who's been speaking to some of those teachers about their experiences, including a teacher who faced racis ... Show More
19m 32s
Aug 2024
What's behind the UK riots?
Violent anti-immigration protests have been taking place in cities across the UK for more than a week, leading to hundreds of arrests. The unrest has been linked to the online spread of misinformation about the fatal stabbing of three young girls in the seaside town of Southport ... Show More
25m 15s
Mar 2025
Why South Korea Reinstated its Impeached PM
In today’s episode, we cover South Korea’s ongoing political crisis, a fresh round of ceasefire talks for Russia and Ukraine, anti-government protests in Turkey, and the ever increasing death toll in Gaza.Watch TLDR’s latest videos here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV9OfUGiExQ ... Show More
6m 22s
Jun 7
‘We want to put them in trauma’
When President Donald Trump took office in January, 2.4 million people worked for the federal government. It was America’s largest employer. Four months later, Trump — and Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service — have hacked off chunks of government in the name of efficiency, with tactics ... Show More
26m 30s
Jan 2025
LA fires: “It was like watching the end of the world”
It’s been a week since wildfires started sweeping through Los Angeles, California, destroying swathes of the city and reducing communities, homes and schools to little more than rubble and ash. The inferno has now ravaged an area larger than Manhattan. Some fires have been exting ... Show More
26m 35s
Mar 2025
Why are students protesting in Serbia?
How did Serbia’s students prompt a national movement for change? They’re leading countrywide protests after a railway station collapse killed 15 people last November. The protests have grown beyond demands for resignations, calling for structural change. Will they pull it off? In ... Show More
23m 44s
Aug 2024
#381: 44 HS Boys FREED After Gang SA Of 14 Yr Old Girl - Now Korean YouTubers Are Doxxing Them
On June 1, 2024, A Korean YouTube channel uploaded a video titled - “Pack Ki Beom, did you think that I wouldn’t find you?”The video includes details about Pack’s personal life. Showing his comfortable luxurious lifestyle with his wife and young daughter. It would appear that ove ... Show More
1h 41m
May 19
My colleague, the scammer
North Korea has been sending young, tech-savvy operatives to pose as ordinary American job seekers. Tech reporter Bobbie Johnson investigates the scam. This episode was produced by Gabrielle Berbey, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boy ... Show More
27m 38s
Apr 2025
Why France-Algeria Relations Have Collapsed
In today’s episode, we cover the dramatic deterioration in Franco-Algerian relations, calls by Israeli reservists for the government to strike a deal with Hamas, China’s strong Q1 growth, the conviction of Peru’s former president.Watch TLDR’s latest videos here:https://youtu.be/p ... Show More
6m 30s