"Mocking High School Girls' Political Declarations on SNS"... Education Authorities Launch Investigation

Incheon Yeo High School 116th Student Council Announces Political Statement
Allegations of Nearby Male Students Making Appearance-Related Insults

According to a report by Yonhap News on the 10th, the education authorities have launched an investigation following allegations that female students at Incheon Girls' High School, who issued a political statement calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, have been subjected to face evaluations and mockery by nearby male students.

According to Yonhap News, the 116th student council of Incheon Girls' High School released the political statement the day before. The statement included content such as, "Having learned Korean history as a compulsory subject, we never imagined that in 2024, youth would experience the fear of that era, witnessing the declaration of martial law outside the textbook reality, the denial of the National Assembly, democratic political activities, citizens' freedoms, and the proclamation of the martial law commander threatening citizens." It continued, "We learned that protecting democracy and guaranteeing citizens' human rights are the president's top priorities as the head of the executive branch," and stated, "We reject a president who does not fulfill these duties and who blocks the press and the National Assembly through power and force." This is the first time a political statement has come from a high school, not a university, in Incheon.

A post appealing for damage on X (formerly Twitter). X

After the release of the political statement, multiple posts appeared on X (formerly Twitter) showing nearby male high school students mocking the female students who posted the statement or evaluating their faces. In fact, some X posts included photos capturing messages such as "Did those XXs eat something wrong as a group?" In response, another netizen wrote, "The student council members of Incheon Girls' High School posted the political statement, but nearby male students are picking fights by evaluating the faces of students who liked the posts," adding, "The students who showed courage are suffering harm."

As the controversy continued, the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education began an investigation focusing on the affected students to ascertain the facts. A representative from the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education told Yonhap News, "We have received reports as school violence and the school is conducting an investigation," adding, "It is presumed that multiple individuals are involved, but it has not yet been confirmed who wrote the posts."