Teachers responsible for student safety on a school field trip drank alcohol alongside their students, drawing criticism. The vice principal in charge of the trip drank a beer first, and some teachers and students followed.
About 100 first- and third-year students from a private high school in South Gyeongsang Province took part in a field trip to an arts center in Busan on the 14th, according to the South Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education on the 21st. About a dozen teachers accompanied the students, with the school's vice principal, identified only as B, in overall charge.
The controversy arose while the students and teachers were having lunch at a large buffet restaurant nearby. The vice principal brought a draft beer available at the restaurant and drank a glass. One teacher who saw this tried to intervene, but Vice Principal B said, "What's wrong with just one glass?" and told other teachers they could drink if they wanted to, according to accounts of the incident.
Four of the 16 accompanying teachers, excluding the vice principal, also drank. Students drank as well. A total of 10 students — four first-years and six third-years — were found to have poured beer into paper cups and other containers and drunk it.
When a teacher who noticed the students drinking tried to stop them, some students said the vice principal had told them to finish the glass without making it obvious, according to accounts. The person responsible for telling students not to drink had instead allowed it.
Even after the teacher reported the situation, Vice Principal B did not actively stop the students from drinking. Vice Principal B explained that it was not possible to tell them to throw the beer away, so the students were allowed to finish what they had already poured and were told not to make it obvious that they had been drinking.
Education authorities have opened an investigation, citing the seriousness of the matter. On the 19th, acting on instructions from Superintendent Kwon Soon-ki, the South Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education sent the head of the district education support office to the school to establish the facts. The provincial office's democratic citizenship education division and secondary education division are conducting further investigations.
Field trips are educational activities in which teachers must manage student safety and provide guidance. Critics say that if teachers allowed or effectively ignored drinking by underage students, it would amount not only to a breach of their duty to protect students but also a possible violation of the Juvenile Protection Act.
An official at the South Gyeongsang Provincial Office of Education said, "We view this matter very seriously," adding, "After clearly establishing the facts through a thorough audit, we plan to ask the school foundation to discipline those involved."
The official added, "We will reiterate to all schools the guidelines on teacher conduct and student safety management during external educational activities such as field trips," and said, "For the students who drank, we plan to focus on guidance and protective measures."