Korean Teachers Dread School Opening as 'Monster Parents' Flood Schools with Complaints

"I can't tell if this is a school or a call center."

A high school teacher in Seocho-gu, Seoul, said the staff room atmosphere becomes far more tense in March when the new semester begins. Parent inquiries and complaints surge over class assignments, seating arrangements, and student guidance issues. Schools are overwhelmed with phone calls immediately after the semester starts.

"In March, the grade office turns into a call center," the teacher said. "Parents often call about matters students could ask themselves."

The teacher added that requests include separating students who had conflicts in middle school, disclosing placement test scores, assigning specific seatmates, and even designating lunch companions.

"Many teachers find dealing with parents harder than teaching students," the teacher said. "There's significant pressure that even small issues can quickly become the school's responsibility."

Educators are drawing parallels to Japan's "Monster Parents" phenomenon, a term coined in 2007 by Japanese educator Mukoyama Yoichi. He described such parents as those who "pressure teachers day and night with incomprehensible and unreasonable demands."

Schools Scale Back Activities Amid Complaint Concerns

Safety concerns and parent complaints are causing schools to reduce educational activities.

A middle school teacher in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, said schools now survey teachers before parents when planning field trips. "Teachers say it's too burdensome to take responsibility for school trips on top of class preparation," the teacher said.

A high school teacher in Gwanak-gu noted that despite government subsidies of about 200,000 won per student for school trips, rising costs and safety management concerns are pushing schools to replace trips with class-level activities.

Sports festivals are also being scaled back. A teacher in Gangnam-gu said many schools now hold sports events biennially or substitute them with simple badminton tournaments.

Teachers report parents threatening legal action over penalty points or arriving at classrooms during class. "Minimizing events is seen as the safest approach," teachers say.

Japan's Extreme Cases: 'Why Weren't Cherry Blossoms Blooming at the Entrance Ceremony?'

Japan has grappled with this issue since the early 2000s. Reported complaints include parents protesting that cherry blossoms weren't blooming at entrance ceremonies, demanding compensation for bad-tasting school lunches, and insisting schools take responsibility for insect bites.

In one case, parents demanded a school compensate losses after their middle schooler lost money gambling online, arguing the school failed to adequately warn about illegal gambling. Parents have also blamed schools for student disputes occurring off campus.

These pressures have contributed to Japan's teacher shortage. According to Japan's Ministry of Education, public schools were short 4,317 teachers as of April last year—about 1.7 times the 2,558 shortage recorded in 2021.

The 2025 academic year teacher recruitment competition ratio hit a record low of 2.9 to 1. Long working hours and parent complaint burdens are making teaching an increasingly avoided profession, analysts say.

Social Changes Behind 'Monster Parents'

Japanese analysts view the Monster Parents phenomenon as a social issue stemming from declining birthrates and changing family structures.

Japan's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research attributes about 70% of the fertility decline since the 1970s to fewer marriages. The institute projects that 33.4% of Japanese women born in 2005 will remain childless.

Sociologist Arakawa Kazuhisa predicts Japan could become a "super-single society" with 49.3 million unmarried individuals by 2040.

Amano Kanako, senior researcher at Nissei Basic Research Institute, noted that parents who are overly attached to their children tend to interfere excessively in their education, employment, and even romantic relationships.