Teachers are leaving Gangnam and Seocho, the representative special education districts, in increasing numbers. 

Recent incidents, like the death of a teacher at Seoi Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, allegedly due to power abuse from parents, have raised concerns. Similarly, parents in the Gangnam area are also being blamed for their high academic performance expectations and tendency to make excessive complaints.

According to the education community, this trend of teachers avoiding work in Gangnam and Seocho has intensified in recent years. 

As of March 1, 2020, a total of 438 elementary school teachers transferred out from Gangnam and Seocho-gu to other districts, while 398 teachers moved in from other areas. 

In 2021, 441 teachers left Gangnam and Seocho-gu, and 421 teachers moved in from other districts. In 2022, 346 teachers left Gangnam and Seocho-gu, and 298 teachers moved in from other areas.

The situation has become such that more teachers are leaving for other districts than those coming in to replace them. 

To address this, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education made changes to the transfer policy. Instead of transferring after working for five years or more, teachers in the Gangnam Seocho Office of Education now need to work for ten years or more before transferring to another education support office, starting from March 1, 2023.

The problem of teachers leaving was most noticeable in 2018 when the number of teachers transferring out of Gangnam and Seocho first exceeded the number of incoming teachers. To retain teachers, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education allowed elementary school teachers in the Gangnam and Seocho Office of Education to remain if they took on leadership roles like head teachers. However, this measure did not prove sufficient to reduce the outflow of teachers.

One elementary school teacher in Seoul described the situation stating, "There is a widespread atmosphere of avoiding Gangnam. It's because Gangnam is infamous for having a high level of complaints from parents. So, (teachers) can know the vibe of the school even without teaching there." 

Some teachers even suggest homeschooling as an alternative due to the severity of the complaints. Apartments near schools, like Seoi Elementary School, are particularly affected, and first-year homeroom teachers experience more significant challenges.

Education officials point out that it's not just Gangnam and Seocho facing these difficulties, but also areas where parents' passion for education is strong and they tend to be overly demanding.

In a tweet, an elementary school teacher expressed, "If there is a new teacher being appointed in Seoul, it is almost guaranteed they will be assigned to Gangnam. It's because Gangnam is a region that teachers actively avoid. They want to avoid Gangnam's students and parents."