Controversy Over 'Military Support Letters' Draws Education Superintendent's Intervention: "Stop Bullying Students"

Cho Hee-yeon, Seoul Superintendent of Education: "Bullying of Students at the School Continues"

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Amid the controversy over the so-called 'soldier mocking consolation letters,' Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, urged on Facebook to "stop bullying the student who sent the letter." Earlier, a petition was posted on the Blue House's National Petition Board requesting a ban on forcing high school students to write consolation letters, and a post by a cram school director refusing to accept students from the high school that submitted the mocking consolation letters further fueled the controversy.

On the 14th, Superintendent Cho wrote on his Facebook, "We will thoroughly investigate the ongoing matter," and appealed, "Online and offline attacks and bullying against the students of the school in question are currently taking place. Please stop bullying the students."

He added, "I sincerely apologize and offer comfort to the soldiers of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces who were hurt by the contents of the letters made public online while fulfilling their military duties, and I also apologize to the students who felt discomfort during the educational activities that led to writing the consolation letters."

The controversy arose on the 11th when the contents of the consolation letters were revealed on an online community. The letters included phrases such as "Please work hard to clear the snow when it snows," and "There will be many hardships in life, but you have to overcome this to be a man."

Some criticized the letters as "insults to the soldiers of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces." Personal information such as the student's name, age, and photo included in the letters was also exposed on social networking services (SNS) and online communities.

A Consolation Letter Sent by a Female High School Student Involved in the Controversy / Photo by Online Community Capture

In this situation, a petition titled "Please ban forcing consolation letters on girls' high schools" was posted on the National Petition Board. The petitioner pointed out, "The big problem is that students have to write consolation letters regardless of their will," and criticized, "How inappropriate it is for minor female students to be forced to write letters comforting adult men."

The petition received over 120,000 endorsements within two days of posting, on the 14th.

Meanwhile, on the same day, a cram school director stirred controversy by stating on their SNS account that they would not accept female high school students who wrote mocking letters.

A petition to ban the forced writing of letters to soldiers at girls' high schools was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board, receiving support from over 120,000 people. / Photo by Blue House National Petition Board screenshot

A, the director of a large cram school in Seoul, shared a photo of the controversial letter and said, "I have seen the level of the girls' high school well. I will never teach students from that school again."

He added, "I will also process all currently enrolled students as withdrawn by tomorrow."

He shared letters from other schools as positive examples and claimed, "I deeply appreciate the female high school students who wrote consolation letters to the soldiers of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces who sacrificed their precious time, body, and mind for the country. A school with students of such character is prestigious."

However, after A's post was published, some netizens criticized it. Negative responses included, "Is it the right attitude for an educator to expel innocent students just because of one consolation letter?" and "How will you explain this to the parents?"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.