Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Holding choir competition at Christian school violates freedom of religion: Seoul education office
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education / Korea Times file
By Lee Hae-rin
Forcing students to participate in in-class worship and choir competitions at a private Christian school violates religious freedom, a human rights center under the Seoul education office said on Sunday.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's Student Human Rights Education Center urged the high school last week to allow students to choose whether to participate in religious activities, stating that the school currently does not guarantee this right, violating the city's student rights ordinance.
However, it should be noted that the center’s recommendation is not compulsory.
The center's investigation revealed that the school plans to hold 22 worship sessions, along with choir competitions and Bible quizzes, for the 2024 academic year.
The center said that the school did not allow students to opt out of certain activities, such as the choir contests.
The investigation was prompted by one of its students who accused the school of not providing that option.
The school said it was founded upon Christian principles and informed its applicants and parents of its religious activists and curriculum, which include religious subjects.
Yet the center concluded that such rules cannot be justified and should not be prioritized over the rights ordinance and the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion.