[Issue Summary] “True Education Comes First” “Is Considering Children Difficult?”... Oh Eun-young’s ‘Etiquette’ Campaign Sparks Debate

[Asia Economy PD Yoon Jin-geun] “Everyone together, Etiquette for Kids. Shall we start?” (Dr. Oh Eun-young)

The Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy produced the ‘Etiquette’ (Child + Etiquette) campaign featuring Dr. Oh Eun-young from Korea University Graduate School of Medicine, which has sparked heated debate among netizens.

On the 9th, the Committee posted a series of videos titled ‘Please tell your child “It’s okay”! Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy Etiquette Campaign’ on YouTube.

The videos present situations where children make mistakes in public places and guardians face difficulties because of the children, urging viewers to say “It’s okay” when children act clumsily.

The videos depict scenarios such as ▲children crying in a restaurant causing discomfort to guardians ▲a child playing ball in a park bumping into an adult and spilling coffee ▲an adult working late being asked about their arrival time by a daycare center because “pickup time has passed.”

Dr. Oh Eun-young asks in each situation to “say ‘It’s okay’ even when children make mistakes,” “understand children’s expressions of feelings which differ from adults,” and “show consideration to parents raising children by saying ‘It’s okay.’”

After the videos were released on online communities, netizens expressed agreement with the campaign’s intent but also criticized it, arguing that it forces a kind of consideration.

Netizen A pointed out, “If children behave in a way that annoys others, parents should properly discipline them.” Netizen B wrote, “Isn’t it the child’s parents who should handle it? Not a single mention of that? Unbelievable.” Netizen C said, “From the children’s perspective, it’s right,” but added, “I think parents should apologize to the victims on their behalf.”

On the other hand, some netizens warned against excessive criticism, calling such interpretations a ‘distortion.’ They noted that the videos clearly show the guardian’s role, such as running over to guide the child to apologize.

Netizen E said, “The point of the advertisement is to ask adults to have tolerance and consideration to embrace children,” adding, “If a child’s immaturity is concluded as the parents’ guilt, who will raise children?” Netizen F wrote, “Most parents teach their children to follow rules in public places,” and “We should not generalize all parents based on the actions of a few inconsiderate ones.”

Meanwhile, a representative from the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy responded to criticisms that the guardian’s apology or actions were insufficient in the campaign videos, saying, “There are scenes where both the child who made a mistake and the child’s parents apologize,” and “Due to the nature of conveying content concisely in a short time, we could not show the apology and follow-up in detail.” They added, “The campaign aims to move away from a society exclusive to children and parenting, and to look at children a little more warmly for the future of our community.”