Standing Up in Class, Shouting "Martial Law Has Been Declared"... "Tank Day Fighting"—Hate Speech Penetrates the Classroom

9 Out of 10 Teachers Have Encountered Hate and Ridicule in the Classroom
94% of Teachers Cite "Online Hate Content" as the Cause
Half of Students Have Experienced "Mocking Content" About Appearance or Region on YouTube and Social Media
55%

"After the 'Tank Day incident,' students now shout 'Tank Day Fighting' during class time."

"In the middle of class, some students suddenly stand up and declare, 'Martial law has been declared.'"

According to a recent survey, 9 out of 10 teachers have witnessed students using expressions of hate, discrimination, historical distortion, or denial of democracy at school. Students are routinely exposed to mocking language regarding not only regions but also appearance, academic performance, and speech on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. These expressions, absorbed without criticism, are then expressed and spread in the classroom.

The controversy over the Paichai High School baseball team's mockery of the May 18 Democratization Movement shows that this is not merely an individual deviation, but a structural problem in which a culture of hate and mockery that has spread online has permeated schools.

Students are aware that they should stop hate and discriminatory acts that demean and hurt others, but said they have not learned this properly at school or in society. They demanded that adults also change and called for clear education on the meaning of hate speech and historical distortion.

"Tank Day Fighting"...Hate Speech Spreads to the Classroom

On July 7, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union released the results of a survey containing these findings.

In a survey conducted between July 2 and 6 of 1,109 teachers at elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide and 1,636 students from sixth grade through high school, 89.3% of teachers responded that they had encountered expressions of hate, discrimination, or historical distortion from students’ remarks, assignments, or presentations in the past year. In particular, middle school teachers reported the highest rate of witnessing such behaviors, at 92.7%.

The most common setting for students using such expressions was during breaks (77.3%), indicating that this language is deeply embedded in their everyday communication with peers. It was also frequently observed in class discussions (52.6%) and assignments or presentations (20.8%), suggesting that hate speech circulating online is being directly brought into the classroom.

Most of these expressions used by students appear to be picked up online.

Spread Through YouTube and Social Media...Half of Students Exposed to Mocking Content

When asked about the types of content and expressions they encountered on YouTube, social networking services (SNS), online communities, game chats, and group chat rooms over the past year, the most common response was "expressions mocking appearance, academic performance, family background, region, or speech" (53.5%). This was followed by "content mocking the death, accidents, or tragedies of politicians or celebrities" (51.2%), "expressions demeaning a specific region" (47.7%), "content making light of historical events or victims" (46.8%), and "fake news or conspiracy theories related to politics or society" (45.3%).

This shows that the problem is not limited to certain expressions found in online far-right communities, but that mockery, hate, and the trivialization of tragedy are widespread throughout the online environment for teenagers.

YouTube (53.1%) and Instagram (51.6%) were the most common channels through which students encountered such content, followed by TikTok (33.6%), conversations with school friends (19.9%), game chats (13.7%), and X (formerly Twitter, 13.8%). This indicates that mocking and hateful expressions consumed online are seeping into peer relationships and conversations at school.

While students recognize that mocking and belittling others is wrong, many are unsure which online expressions are inappropriate, highlighting the need for proper education.

Not Just Online Hate Content: 'Politics and Media' Also to Blame...Stop the 'Language of Mockery'

Regarding the recent Paichai High School incident, 80.6% of students said that it is problematic to use expressions that mock others, specific regions, or historical tragedies. In addition, 83.7% said that the public controversy over this incident either made them newly aware of the problem or increased their awareness of its seriousness.

When asked what is most needed to prevent recurrence, the top response was "education explaining why such expressions are problematic" (40.8%), ahead of "punishment appropriate to the severity of the wrongdoing" (33.2%). This was followed by "preventing the spread of hate and mocking content online" (32.4%) and "giving those who did wrong a chance to apologize and reflect" (28.9%).

Teachers viewed this issue as a structural problem rather than an individual deviation. Among respondents, 88.4% saw the Paichai High School incident as the result of online hate culture entering schools, not just the fault of certain students.

As for the causes, 94% cited "the spread of online hate content and community culture," while 74.4% pointed to "the language of hate and mockery in politics and the media."

Difficulties in guidance were also reported at the field level. When teachers addressed hate speech with students, the most common responses were "It was just a joke" (56.0%) and "I just copied what other kids were saying" (55.5%). Some teachers (32.1%) said students continued to use the expressions even after being corrected, while only a very small portion (1.8%) reported cases where students independently researched or sincerely apologized and reflected.

Students Who Said "It Was Just a Joke"...Some Change Through Education, "Education Over Punishment"

However, among the 145 teachers who reported positive effects from education, improvements were attributed to: accurately explaining the origin and meaning of such expressions, history and human rights education with hands-on experiences, conversations that encouraged self-reflection and trust between teachers and students, and collective responses at the school level.

Some teachers said, "When I explained the seriousness of Ilbe (a far-right online community) terminology, students said they didn't know and stopped using it," "During a year of classes where I also provided objective information, students' far-right tendencies eased," and "Punishment was ineffective, but after field trips to sites related to the May 18 Democratization Movement and the Sewol Ferry disaster, students changed significantly."

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Students also favored solutions focused on education rather than punishment.

The most common response, at 55.3%, was that "learning properly about hate speech and historical distortion at school" is necessary, followed by "lessons using real-life cases to think about why such behaviors are wrong" (42.9%), "clear school action against serious hate or discriminatory behavior" (35.0%), and "systems to prevent YouTube and social media from continuously recommending hateful content" (32.2%).

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union stated, "The Paichai High School incident is not just a problem for one school, but a case showing how online hate speech is infiltrating school culture," and emphasized, "School education, media literacy education, the social responsibility of platforms, and improvements to the online content environment must all be pursued together."

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