This photo, taken Oct. 22, 2022, shows police mobilized to prevent possible clashes among conservative and progressive activists, as they held respective large-scale rallies in downtown Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean educational authorities are preventing students from participating in rallies, citing the Halloween crowd crush as an excuse, while attempting to restrict their everyday activities.
Vice Education Minister Jang Sang-yoon held a meeting with the heads of regional education offices last Sunday, the day after the Itaewon disaster.
During the meeting, Jang said that there were safety concerns with the candlelight rally for middle and high school students that some civil groups plan to host on Saturday, asking the participants to actively monitor the situation.
The ministry also sent an official document to each education offices, asking schools to adjust or delay in-school events and, if it was difficult to cancel such events, to carry them out in a calm atmosphere.
Without giving detailed instructions on what schools could or should do, the education ministry just sent a variety of ‘what not to do’ instructions.
Even following the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014, the ministry showed a similar pattern of behavior.
In five days after the disaster, it suspended each school’s first-semester field trips, saying that the disaster happened during a school field trip.
Five month later, the ministry also sent an official document to each education offices, banning behaviors mourning the victims such as wearing yellow ribbons.
The ministry said that such behaviors could have the risk of making immature students have biased views.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
