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Seoul School Strike For Climate

SEOUL SCHOOL STRIKE FOR CLIMATE

seoul-school-strike-for-climate
High School students performing climate strike at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul

On the 24th of May 2019, high school students from Korean Minjok Leadership Academy led a climate change action activity held beside Sejong Cultural Center in Gwanghwamun, Seoul.


Since it was Friday and a school day in South Korea, the students’ action is tantamount to having a school strike. Their action was similar and in support of the recent ‘school strike for climate’ that was initiated by a 15-year-old Swedish student, Greta Thunberg, which eventually encouraged and prompted students around the world to do strike every Friday.

Not only Korean students but also adults, a few foreigners, children, parents, and little kids joined the climate strike. The various age levels of participants showed that the threats of not strongly addressing the issues of climate are being felt by those present.


Some teachers and mentors supported and guided the students while performing their day’s program. Obviously, the teachers allowed these students to do school strike as I noticed their presence around.


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School Strike in Seoul


ACTIVITY PLAN

As I can recall, the activity started at 3 pm on the steps beside Sejong Cultural Center in Seoul. The programme included singing climate songs, dancing kids, giving climate-related speeches by students from various schools, marching to Seoul Education Office (while singing and shouting climate slogans), speeches by students at the Education Office’s main gate, and formally delivering a document for the head of the education office (more on this below).


SINGING CLIMATE CHANGE SONGS

The songs with climate-themed lyrics were composed as parody songs of popular Korean and non-Korean original songs. The contents include the demands for government officials and policy-makers to do something on climate change quickly. The lyrics expressed the younger generation’s disappointment of feeling being abandoned through inaction regarding the impacts of climate change (e.g., sinking island) to Earth and all living creatures. The feeling was very much similar to what other climate activists are expressing, including Greta Thunberg in her speeches at the international conferences and street campaigns on climate (e.g., Youtube speech).


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Elementary children singing climate songs

CLIMATE CHANGE DANCES

The dances were performed by children (I guessed elementary kids) while the music was played with lyrics on climate change. The lyrics expressed the beauty of nature, and the demand to love our only Earth (“There is no planet B” as one slogan says). The music also strongly urged other children (and people) to keep the environment clean (from waste and plastics, etc.) and to plant more trees.


CLIMATE SPEECHES

Six students who presented their speeches came from different high schools, including Minjok Academy. The contents of their addresses included personal thoughts and reflections about their bleak future concerning climate change. Others spoke of climate change and its effects based on factual and scientific reports and studies. While other students strongly urged not only the Korean government but also all nations to act together and fight against climate change for the future of the young and future generations.


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Students in front of Seoul Education Office

MARCH TOWARDS SEOUL EDUCATION OFFICE

After the presentations, the group started to march towards Seoul Metropolitan Education Office. The group was basically aiming to persuade the education office to hear the students’ call to respond to their wishes. While marching, we were all singing climate songs and saying slogans led by one of the active students using a microphone.


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Students delivering speeches in front of Seoul Education Office

SECOND CLIMATE SPEECHES

The speeches being delivered by representative students here were the speeches delivered in the Gwanghwamun area. The only difference is that one speech was directed towards the education offices’ officials, especially to the superintendent, who manages the school curriculum in Seoul. The students targeted Seoul as it is the center of education, among others, that can influence the rest of the provinces in the country.

After the speeches, the students representative and representative of all who joined the event, presented or delivered a document for the superintendent containing the students’ demands for much better quality education by including subjects on climate change in the school curriculum.


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Marching with high school climate strikers


Indeed, the event reflects the global action against the inaction on climate change. In this case, the students and other participants emphasized how important it is to educate people (including students) and make everyone aware of the effects of climate change, especially to the young and future generations.


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