School Cancels Trip Amid Safety Concerns

This month, people around the world have remembered the sinking of the Sewol Ferry in Korea on April 16, 2014, a tragedy that killed 304 people including many students of Danwon High School. A year after the sinking, the Gwacheon Foreign Language School in Gyeonggi-do has canceled a regularly-held field trip.

In the warm spring, students typically start going on field trips and are excited to go to cool places and hang out with friends. Also, many teachers are delighted to be with students outside of the classroom or school. The Danwon students who died last year were on their way to Jeju Island, but their ship sunk into the deep ocean.

This brought sadness to citizens in Korea, led to the April 18, 2014 suicide of the school’s vice principal, and caused political ramifications that continue today. Moreover, one high school in Korea, Gwacheon Foreign Language High School, has not held field trips this year because of the safety issue. This is depressing to students who had wanted to go on field trips.

Ha Eun Seo, a freshman at Gwacheon, told JSR, “It is very sad that we can’t go to field trips. I used to have fun with friends and the best part was the bonfire at night before we fell asleep.”

According to the school’s principal, Chung Shil Lee, “It makes me feel bad when I see students who are stressed with work, and school can provide the chance to have fun with teachers and friends. I really want students to not only study hard but also to have enjoyments while they are working.”

“On the other hand,” Lee continued, “their safety is the most important thing.”