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Math teacher in hot seat: 'Study hard or you will end up landing welding job in Australia'

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Joo Ye-ji
Joo Ye-ji

By Park Si-soo

Popular math teacher Joo Ye-ji has come under fire for a remark denigrating welders.

"If your score is as low as Level 7, it would be better (for you) to go to Australia (instead of university) and get a welding job. It's a well-paid job," Jo said during YouTube live streaming on Monday. The remark was to encourage underperforming students to study harder, but it raised many viewers' eyebrows.

After angry reactions, Joo quickly admitted her mistake, saying it was "a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment." But the apology was to no avail because the controversial remark had already been reproduced ― nearly 10 videos capturing the moment were available on YouTube as of 3:50 p.m. Tuesday.

With online debate over her comment raging, Joo's name became one of the most searched keywords Tuesday on Naver, the nation's most popular portal.

Broadcaster SBS cancelled her appearance on a radio program

Joo remains silent.

She has enjoyed rock-star status among teenagers after a YouTube algorithm accidently made one of her lecture videos an international hit two years ago. She is widely known as a lookalike of Chaeyoung of K-pop girl band TWICE.


Park Si-soo pss@koreatimes.co.kr


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