Korean Job Discussion Forums

tombirner · Joined: 19 Dec 2007

My co-teacher told me that some schools (not ours) have a ceremony for elementary school graduation which entails the children walking around town naked.

I keep insisting she's joking, but she swears it's true. Is she just messing with me? Has anyone heard anything like this?

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

It was on the news last night. But not elementary kids!! Middle-school kids got naked at some river and threw flour over each other then jumped around in the water. Mostly boys.

It was an isolated incident and is not commonly done in Korea, according to wifey.

Seems the nation is quite shocked at the 'wildness' of their young. Just seems like a harmless prank to me.

With the cold weather and jumping in the river, I'd say the biggest danger would be embarrassing weeny-shrinkage!!!

cbclark4 · Joined: 20 Aug 2006 Location: Masan

Saw the flour being thrown and some torn up uniforms, in Masan.

I didn't see any nudity.

poet13 · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:17 pm Post subject:

"Mostly boys." Shocked

mistermasan · Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Location: 10+ yrs on Dave's ESL cafe

yes, CB i saw the same.

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/117_19145.html

crusher_of_heads · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:33 pm Post subject:

YOu have a problem with Korean culture?

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

http://thegrandnarrative.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/middle-school-students-naked-graduation-antics/

excitinghead · Joined: 18 Jul 2005

Thanks for the link Smee, it made me take a second look at the post and realise that there were about 20 typos in it!

Strange how only the KoreaTimes seems to be the only English-language media reporting it. I've just spent the last 30 mins looking, but can't find anything but the link CentralCali gave (but thanks for doing so!).

mistermasan · Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Location: 10+ yrs on Dave's ESL cafe

oh, the movable goalposts of morality. two generations ago the national costume pretty much required exposed breasts. now a bare breast is news worthy.

are they "nude" if they have clothes on? no.

journalistic pandering. how are panties and bra different than bikinis?

excitinghead · Joined: 18 Jul 2005

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

I think he's talking about pictures that were on Occidentalism showing women in hanbok with their breasts exposed during occupation. Some posters have said that those were in fashion up to the 1950s.

excitinghead · Joined: 18 Jul 2005

You mean like this one? (NSFW) http://www.flickr.com/photos/dok1/457868028/

I confess, I thought that's he meant too. But farmer ajummas not caring less about it back when 80+% of the population worked on the fields doesn't mean that it was ever okay in Korea for 16 year-old schoolgirls to run around topless. Not that I'm...ahem...against it, but it's pretty extraordinary for Korea, hence all the media attention.

excitinghead · Joined: 18 Jul 2005

I've just found one video of a montage of images of the students, and one of a news report from yesterday. You can see both here:

http://thegrandnarrative.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/middle-school-students-naked-graduation-antics-continued/

I should mention that both are technically safe for work. The latter is probably perfectly fine, it's from a primetime news show after all, but the blurring is a little sloppy on the first, and videos of naked teenagers may raise a few eyebrows at your average hogwan, let alone at Westerrn workplaces Shocked