Healing historical wounds: Duty of adults to halt political polarization

Jeon Su-mi

A recent incident at a national high school baseball tournament has sparked a heated debate in Korea regarding history, education and the responsibilities of adults.

On June 29, during the Blue Dragon Championship at Seoul's Mokdong Stadium, several players from Paichai High School chanted “Let’s go to Starbucks” and “Tank Day” at their opponents from Gwangju Jeil High School.

To international observers, these phrases might seem bizarre but harmless. However, in the Korean context, they served as a deliberate dog-whistle. The chants referenced a recent controversy over a Starbucks Korea "Tank Day" promotional event on the anniversary of the May 18th Gwangju Uprising — a tragic 1980 incident in the nation's southwestern region where military tanks were used to brutally suppress civilian pro-democracy protesters. Echoing these phrases was widely condemned as a malicious mockery of historical trauma and regional grief.

While some might misguidedly attempt to defend these remarks under the banner of "freedom of expression," this argument fundamentally misses the mark. True liberty does not encompass the right to weaponize historical grief or exploit the vulnerabilities of a specific region. At the same time, we must critically examine the response of certain intellectuals and politicians. Rather than providing a principled critique, some have offered only token reprimands while largely defending the students, seemingly to align themselves with specific political factions. This approach risks prioritizing partisan safety over genuine moral guidance.

This incident is not an isolated deviation but a symptom of lingering regional prejudices that our society has yet to fully overcome. During my university years, I distinctly recall how students from the Gyeongsang region would proudly speak in their robust dialects, while my peers from the Jeolla region often made conscious efforts to erase their accents to avoid stigma. This stark contrast always evoked a bittersweet memory of my own mother, who would only let her thick provincial accent slip when speaking privately with relatives. The inappropriate jeers at the stadium are a poignant reminder that these deep-seated prejudices still echo, now through the voices of our youth.

Some attempt to dilute the severity of the issue by invoking the "diversity of historical interpretations." While academic debate is a cornerstone of a free society, turning the unhealed wounds of those who lost family members to state violence into a punchline is an entirely different matter. We must draw a clear line between ideological discourse and the basic civic duty to show respect for human suffering.

However, acknowledging the gravity of the students' actions is entirely separate from deciding how we, as a society, should guide them forward. The decision to hand down a severe six-month suspension warrants sober reflection. The ultimate goal of education should be to uplift and guide, not to permanently brand young individuals and seal off their futures.

Globally, progressive education systems increasingly focus on restoration rather than mere retribution. Finland, for instance, emphasizes restorative justice through dialogue, New Zealand prioritizes community reconciliation and Germany focuses heavily on youth rehabilitation. What these adolescents need is not a terminal verdict that stifles their potential, but a profound opportunity for self-reflection and the chance to learn from their mistakes.

There is a profound paradox in pushing these students to the edge in the name of honoring the May 18th movement. The spirit of the Gwangju Uprising represents the triumph of human dignity, reconciliation and the breaking of the vicious cycle of hatred. Democracy begins with respecting differences, and human rights are truly realized when everyone is afforded the opportunity to rise again after a fall. To claim to inherit this noble legacy while choosing punitive exclusion over education for our youth is a tragic contradiction.

The burden of politics belongs to adults. The concerning trend of partisan conflict seeping into our classrooms and turning adolescents into political pawns must end. What is required now is a space for genuine remorse for the students, compassionate and restorative judgment from our educational institutions, and strict restraint from the political sphere. A society that fails to respect historical loss loses its moral compass, but a society that offers its youth no hope for redemption after a mistake is equally suffocating.

Across our political landscape, society, economy and education system, our nation is accelerating far too rapidly toward polarization. On a runaway train bound for extremes, there are no safe passengers. The time has come for all of us to place our feet on the brakes and press down firmly. Navigating our historical wounds with empathy and education, rather than extremism, is the true essence of democracy and the dignity we must pass down to the next generation.

Jeon Su-mi (sumijeon@ssu.ac.kr), an attorney, is a professor at the Soongsil Institute for Peace and Unification and spokesperson of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. She was a member of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation. Her areas of specialty include South Korean politics and foreign policy, North Korean politics and human rights. The views expressed in this article are her own.