Ugly Graduation Rituals Die Hard
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Despite the society's effort to make graduation ceremonies a festive occasion for all, ugly scenes are still reoccurring.
Throughout the ceremony season, starting last week, news of students pelting each other with flour, eggs and other items were reported. Some students went over the top, on occasion to the extent of breaking the law.
Still, the students are not taking the warnings too seriously, regarding the wild behavior as ``pranks to remember,'' as one of the students put it.
Residents at Junranggu, Seoul, were flabbergasted last Friday when a bunch of naked middle school students wandered around the streets, with only their private parts covered. Some girls were also topless and were enjoying the stroll. They even dipped in the Jungrang stream nearby, in full view of passers by who called the police.
When the police came and warned them of possible punishment they could get, the students reportedly burst into laughter and said, ``It was a gimmick that our seniors enjoyed too.''
The government has issued an order that every secondary school in the capital should come up with measures to deal with such levity. Following the order, the schools sent out notices to each student and their families to refrain from such behavior at the ceremonies, but to no avail.
How did the flour pelting begin in the first place? It is said that throwing the white flour on mostly black or dark navy color school uniforms was a sign of resistance to Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945). Then, all students were forced to wear uniforms identical to that of Japanese students, which were modeled on military uniforms. Making a mess of the uniform was a mark of resistance and expression of strong antipathy toward the colonial regime.
``Since the students have bright futures, it will not be easy to prosecute them for their misbehaviors,'' a police official said. However, he and other people shared the view that tightening behavior regulations is necessary.
Recently, some schools showed signs of change. Daegu Girls' High School invited the B-boys and musical performance teams to the ceremony and held a festival for not only the graduates but also the local residents. They all danced to the music or cheered the dancers.
Mungyeong Middle School in North Gyeongsang Province led students on a tour of the campus. Also the school orchestra performed and held singing contests for the graduates.
``The ceremony needs to change from simply handing in certificates and taking photos to what all people can truly celebrate and remember. It should be a place to enjoy, not to annoy,'' the headmaster of the school said.