[News] SECRET Jun Hyosung Controversy, 'Is It Just About Her or All of Us?'

SECRET's Jun Hyosung's controversy over the use of the word democratization has boiled over in just a span of two days. Her remark on radio, which went "We (SECRET) respect our unique identities. We do not democratize," lit up a forest fire in online circles over the misuse of the word democratize.

Democratization has recently been widely misused online as something along the lines of 'to round up and repress' or 'downward standardization.'

Jun Hyosung posted a public apology on her Twitter later that day for her misuse of the word.

She is currently a college student at In Ha University as a Theater and Film Studies major.

It is surely disappointing that a college student who has gone through 12 years of education does not know the proper meaning of democratization. But this is certainly not just about Jun Hyosung. This incident points to the deficiency that exists within the Korean educational system.

As is the case with many Asian countries, Korean educational system is solely focused on college admission. There have been improvements along the way, but it goes without saying that the present system still revolves around getting students into prestigious universities.

Tragically, Korean history has been excluded as one of the tested subjects in the college entrance exam. Students spend night and day to memorize mathematical formulas and chemical terminologies but Korean history has taken a back seat.

But as anyone who has entered the real world and started working can attest, what really matters in life for most people is not math or chemistry. It is social skills, common sense and basic knowledge.

Everyone who is criticizing Jun Hyosung for her shallow knowledge in Korean history needs to examine oneself. For example, there is a huge misuse of the word different and wrong. An alarmingly high number of the adult population say that something is 'wrong' when they actually mean 'different.'
Of course, Jun Hyosung is a public figure and deserves to be criticized. But before we cry foul and pick up a rock to throw at her, we must first look ourselves in the mirror. If everything we said and did were recorded and scrutinized, I doubt we will last.

In 2007, Big Bang's Top appeared at a major network TV show with a jacket that had the Japanese Rising Sung Flag, which stood for imperialism during times of its military expansion. Even in T-ARA N4's new music video, we had to see another Rising Sun Flag. Rather than pointing fingers at the individuals, we must look to the root of the problem in the Korean education system that has stopped giving the students a reason to learn their heritage.

M/s : kenvilthomas@kpopupdates.com