‘Sorry for holding sports day’: Children apologize ahead of possible noise complaints before fun begins
Children stand in formation and chant apologies to residents before their school sports day begins, in a video posted Thursday. Captured from Instagram
In South Korea, May is traditionally the season for elementary school sports days — a time when entire student bodies gather outdoors for games, music and cheering that lasts a few hours. But this year, one school’s attempt to celebrate was met with an unexpected twist that has sparked debate online: students apologizing in unison to nearby residents before beginning their event.
On Thursday, a video titled “These days, elementary school sports days start with an apology” began circulating on multiple online communities. Originally uploaded to Instagram, the clip shows students assembled on a field next to an apartment complex. Before the festivities begin, they collectively chant after the emcee: “We’re sorry. Please let us play just a little today. Thank you.”
The act appears to be a preemptive gesture of goodwill, acknowledging the noise the event might cause and seeking understanding from nearby residents. But to many online observers, the sight of children apologizing for playing struck a nerve.
“Let them have their sports day,” the original poster wrote, lamenting that even elementary school events are now subject to noise complaints. “They turned toward the apartment complex and apologized before starting. It’s a sad reality.” The user added that the event was held without any music, with low microphone volume, and lasted just two hours and 40 minutes starting at 9 a.m. “With fewer than 100 kids, it wasn’t even that loud,” the post continued. “Raising kids these days makes you feel like a criminal. I just want to raise them to be decent and healthy thinkers. I hope people can be a bit more understanding.”
The post quickly went viral, prompting a wave of sympathetic and frustrated comments. Many criticized what they saw as an overly sensitive society. “So apartment prices go up if there’s an elementary school nearby, but people complain about the sound of kids playing?” one user said. Another added, “Why should children have to apologize for being noisy one day out of the year?”
Others pointed out a different concern: “It’s shocking that the entire school has only that many students.”
As South Korea grapples with rising urban density and changing norms around noise and public space, even time-honored childhood traditions like sports day are being reshaped — sometimes, as this video suggests, in bittersweet ways.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.