Making holes in walls and smearing kimchi juice... Prestigious university students face backlash

Student at Prestigious Japanese University Kobe University Causes Disturbance at Lodging Facility
Badminton Club Tradition... Kobe University "Considering Disciplinary Action"

Students from a prestigious university in Japan caused a disturbance at a lodging facility, drawing criticism not only from their fellow citizens but also from people around the world.

Students from Kobe University causing a disturbance.
[Photo by X]

On the 18th (local time), a post titled "Spring training camp photos of the Kobe University Badminton Club" was uploaded on the social networking service (SNS) X, sparking controversy. The author, identified as A, a student currently enrolled at Kobe University, stated, "The club members engaged in disruptive behavior such as damaging items in the lodging facility and tearing sliding doors," adding, "Since the club recruitment season is approaching, I thought it would be good for new students to be aware of this."

Photos released by A show badminton club members smiling with their faces poking through holes made in the middle door of the lodging facility, which was originally covered with door paper (munpungji). They sprayed kimchi soup on the walls and even tossed a fellow student up to the ceiling like a celebratory lift, creating holes and then proudly taking commemorative photos in front of them.

A also claimed, "The Kobe University Badminton Club holds training camps twice a year," and "They caused disturbances during previous training camp drinking parties as well, tarnishing the school's reputation."

Recognizing the controversy, Kobe University issued a statement saying, "We deeply apologize to the concerned parties," and added, "We plan to investigate based on the students' testimonies and consider disciplinary actions against the students." The affected lodging facility is reportedly negotiating compensation with the students.

Netizens who came across the story expressed negative reactions such as, "This is a disgrace to Kobe University," "They say character isn't determined by grades," "It's ridiculous that such uneducated behavior is considered a club tradition," "It's scary that none of the many people involved pointed out the wrongdoing," and "There's a saying that people tend to act strangely when gathered in groups, and it turns out to be true."

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