Written by: Sonishma Basnet - 2022021, Grade X
Posted on: 16 December, 2020
School of Performing Arts Seoul also called SOPA is an art school located in Gung-Dong, Guro-Go in South Korea. This school is one of the most prestigious schools located in South Korea. Parents work their backs off to admit their children here. KPOP which is now the most influential music type in the world and many idols graduated from this school. Some of the most popular idols who graduated from this school are BTS’ Jungkook, Red Velvet’s Joy, Blackpink’s Jisoo, NCT’s Mark, former Miss A member Bae Suzy, etc. this school is known for producing some of the best artists in kpop as of now. And that is one of the reasons why most parents want their children to graduate from this school as they would have connections and the needed training.
But in the past year, the students of this school came out to expose this school, how badly it treated its students especially females, and the toxic traits of the school. Students of SOPA made a music video about how miserably SOPA treated them and posted it on youtube. The students modified the lyrics from a musical called: HERO. The song HERO is about a Japanese independence activist, An Jung-Geun. The hero was the song which told oh who is guilty? Me an activist who's going against the law to expose the government or the government itself? The students modified this song and made their own music. This musical got attention internationally very quickly. Here are some claims that students made:
The school made it mandatory for students to perform outside the school like private events.
The school never notify the students about the pay or profits of the events.
Asked the students to perform skinship and sexy dances in these performances (the students were mostly always females aged from 14-18)
The school would notify the students about the events only a day before so they had to practice till late nights/early mornings
The school received approximately 10K US Dollars from the Japanese Government for the tickets and fees for the performance in Japan but all the students have to pay for everything themselves
Threatened all the “whistleblowers” with the threat of lawsuits and penalization through in-school committee etc
All these claims made by the students are said to be true but not an official statement has been released. The principal had paid retirement and his wife still works in the school as an administrator. No huge steps were made against the school committee and the school is still one of the biggest art schools in South Korea.
These kinds of works are still performed in many schools, workplaces not only in South Korea. Favoritism to the smartest and the richest in the school, bad managing system in the administrative field of the school, making students pay way more than required. These are some situations that happen in every school in a small or big way and SOPA was just an example. Not being able to express one's feelings in school due to fear of getting punished even though the students are right is the most practiced culture in school and we as students and teachers/faculties should really try to lessen the number of these situations rather than being stuck on the same old school technique.
References:
“Who is sinner _ Reporting the damage and unfairness of Seoul Performance Art High School students” sopa students https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_uzzNPnCXQ&t=2s
