A shocking incident recently occurred at Seocho Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where a second-year rookie female teacher, overwhelmed by stress due to parental complaints, resorted to extreme measures. It is now widely known as the 'Pencil Incident', in which one student harmed on another student's forehead with a pencil. The teacher received various complaints from parents and, in her distress, sought help from the school but was denied assistance. Furthermore, in response to the 'Seocho Incident', enraged teachers from around the country, numbering 30,000, gathered in front of the Seoul government building to demand the 'Normalization of Public Education'. They called for the creation of a safe educational environment, protection of teachers' educational rights, and revisions to laws regarding child abuse. Their outcry was a plea for providing a normal educational environment for both teachers who want to teach and students who want to learn.

  The area surrounding Seocho Elementary School, where a young female teacher took her own life, is now covered with tributes from teachers and citizens from all over the country. The school's buildings and walls are adorned with letters from teachers sent in from various regions, attached with Post-It notes. While these letters do not explicitly mention the anonymous group known as 'parents', they seem to be condemning the reality of malicious complaints, which appear to be ingrained in the DNA of Koreans, as a form of 'My my child-centered egoism'. This ideology advocates fiercely protecting one's own children, even at the expense of others' children, and striving to elevate one's own offspring to comfortable and advantageous positions in society. This philosophy embodies the essence of 'my child-centered egoism'.

'My my child-centered egoism' refers to the excessive involvement in one's children's growth process due to an inability to tolerate even minor inconveniences or setbacks that they may face in social relationships. It extends to parents engaging in battles to favor their own children even in small competitions and conflicts among kids in classrooms, which can be distressing for teachers. This aspect of Korean culture seems to be ingrained in the DNA of society at large, irrespective of urban or rural areas or social strata. However, frontline teachers confess that the phenomenon of 'malicious complaints' is even more frequent, aggressive, and intimidating in affluent, densely populated areas.

  Candidates for high-ranking public positions appearing in parliamentary hearings have repeatedly violated regulations, using various means to ensure their children's admission to top-tier universities and to change their residence to neighborhoods with excellent education resources. This trend is often cloaked in the guise of the "Mother of Mencius moving three times for Mencius" anecdote, further exacerbating the situation.

  As a business executive, one of the weekly tasks I handle is conducting 'new employee interviews'. While the hiring process for production line workers is delegated to senior staff members, I personally oversee the recruitment interviews for office positions or production technicians, sometimes conducting them twice a week. From an external perspective, the fact that we hire new employees every week may lead to the misconception that we require a significant amount of manpower, potentially due to expanding facilities or creating new customers and markets.

  However, in reality, there has been no increase in sales or production volume, and the need for new hires arises primarily because employees resign frequently, and filling these vacancies through recruitment interviews is not always a straightforward process.

  In other words, it seems that most young employees are inclined to seek easy and comfortable positions, and they tend to resign and give up quickly when faced with even minor difficulties or unpleasant experiences. They may have forgotten that work is not just about enduring hardship but also about harnessing a powerful force for success, prosperity, and happiness. This tendency could be attributed to excessive protection and coddling during their upbringing, possibly stemming from a parent's 'my child-centered egoism', which might make them find it difficult to accept even minor discomforts.

  Following the incidents of violent crimes at Seoul's Sinlim Station and Gyeonggi Province's Bundang Seohyun Station, there has been a series of 'murder threats' posted on online communities, where individuals claim they intend to commit imitation crimes. This has led to growing public anxiety. 'Random crimes' target innocent and unspecified individuals, making it difficult to predict or avoid such crimes, which has heightened the fear factor. It's disheartening to see that even in a society like ours, where public safety is generally well-maintained, everyday life in public places is now filled with unease.

  The perpetrator in the Sinlim Station incident, a man in his 30s, stated, "I'm unhappy in my life, and I wanted to make others unhappy too." The suspect in the Seohyun Station stabbing case made erratic claims about being stalked by a specific group and fearing for his life. These perpetrators share the common characteristic of being 'social outcasts' consumed by their own emotions. There are striking similarities between these incidents and the 'murder-suicides' committed by Japan's 'hikikomori' or reclusive individuals, which became a serious social issue in the early 2000s. These cases raise concerns about the emergence of similar 'random crimes' in our society.

 The emergence of 'hikikomori' or reclusive individuals can indeed be attributed to various factors, including social maladjustment stemming from bullying or school violence. However, it seems that family dynamics and issues related to child-rearing play a more significant role in many cases. In situations where parents have one or two children, they often tend to overprotect and exert excessive control over their offspring. Consequently, children become naturally dependent on their parents and grow up in an immature state. The trend towards smaller nuclear families resulting from the transformation of larger extended families and the effects of overprotection have led to an increase in individuals who are overly reliant on their parents, akin to 'kangaroo children'. This phenomenon contributes to the growing occurrence of 'hikikomori'.

  It is often said that children who are obedient to their parents are more likely to become 'hikikomori'. As they transition into adulthood and face various disappointments they did not experience during their smooth upbringing, they may fail to overcome these setbacks. This can lead to feelings of guilt and resentment towards their parents, ultimately causing them to withdraw into their own world. Their avoidance of social contact further exacerbates irregular habits, such as reversing day and night schedules or becoming addicted to computers and the internet, making it increasingly difficult for them to interact with others or society at large.

  The lifestyle of a reclusive individual often leads to self-deprecation, delusions of persecution, and even mental disorders. When pushed into psychological distress, they may exhibit violent tendencies and potentially engage in criminal activities.

  In 50 or even 100 years, the Republic of Korea, as a nation, may disappear from the map due to the issue of 'low birth rates'. This problem arises because young individuals are choosing not to get married, and even if they do, they often opt for childless households.

  According to surveys, 40% of unmarried individuals in their 2030s have no intention of getting married, and 47% have no intention of having children at all. The primary reasons men cite for not wanting to marry include 'economic issues', while women often express that 'living alone brings more happiness'.

  In conclusion, not getting married and not having children while living with one's parents is currently seen as the best way to achieve economic stability and maintain a certain level of 'happiness'. Therefore, if the older generation continues to provide an overly protective upbringing for one or two children and treats them with a 'my child-centered egoism' mentality even after they reach adulthood, the issues of marriage and childbirth may remain unresolved indefinitely.

  The concept of 'my child-centered egoism' became a hot issue when the novelist Kim Hoon, who had attended a gathering of over 30,000 teachers from across the nation, published a column stating that "the misguided perception of parents who only think about their own children is a root cause of the current collapse of public education."

  Parents who do not hold their own child's hand and accompany them to school are considered as not doing their best. Those who do not personally drive their children to academies are seen as neglectful parents. Similarly, not sending a child to English or math camps is seen as a sign of indifferent parenting, and not planning international trips may be viewed as a sign of incompetence. While it is natural that parental responsibilities have increased due to an unprecedented level of abundance compared to half a century ago, the emphasis on the preciousness of one's own child has grown even more. This can lead to overprotection, resulting in children who lack initiative and become overly reliant on their parents, unable to do anything on their own.

  While it's not fair to blame the desire of parents to raise their children to the best of their abilities, the guilt and sense of failure that can result when these aspirations are not met can eventually lead young couples to postpone or forgo having children, contributing to the nationwide issue of 'low birth rates'. When parenting shifts away from 'my child-centered egoism' and focuses on fostering independence and the ability to make decisions in children, it can help the country avoid sinking into the pit of 'low birth rates'. Moreover, when children are raised to be independent and capable of making their own choices, they are less likely to succumb to the temptations of becoming 'social outcasts' or engaging in 'random crimes'.