Education authorities have requested a police investigation into the death of a kindergarten teacher in Bucheon who died after being forced to work while suffering from influenza.
The Bucheon Wonmi Police Station said Saturday that the Bucheon Office of Education filed a request the previous day for a criminal investigation into a private kindergarten in Bucheon on suspicion of document forgery. The kindergarten is accused of forging the resignation letter of Teacher A, who died last month, by signing it on her behalf.
Teacher A was diagnosed with influenza B on January 27 but was unable to take sick leave and continued working for three days. Her symptoms, including fever and vomiting, worsened, and she left work early on the afternoon of January 30. She was hospitalized but died of septic shock on February 14.
The kindergarten requested that the education office process Teacher A's resignation on February 10 — four days before her death. The bereaved family raised forgery allegations, arguing it was impossible for Teacher A to have written a resignation letter while hospitalized. Her resignation only came to light when the family's labor attorney contacted the Private School Pension Service to file a condolence payment claim.
"We plan to summon the bereaved family for questioning first," a police official said. "We will then call in kindergarten officials to verify the facts before deciding whether to open a formal investigation."
