hankyoreh

the student council leader of President Park Geun-hye’s alma mater

By Lee Jae-uk, staff reporter

“President Park Geun-hye, please help us take down the off-site horserace betting center near our school, and use the existing building as a library and community center instead. For the sake of your alma mater, and for the sake of these students and future leaders of South Korea, take the lead for us and help us make our school district safer.”

In the few days prior to the grand opening of the off-site horserace betting center the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) has established in Seoul’s Yongsan district, students from Sacred Heart Girls’ Middle and High School (which is only 200m away from the betting center) appealed to their alumnus President Park (graduated in 1970) to help them keep their community safe.

40 students and 14 teachers from the girls’ school held a press conference at Cheonwoon Hyoja-dong Community Service Center in Seoul’s Jongno district, near the Blue House entrance. “We have a right to a good educational environment, and we are appealing that President Park prevent the opening of the betting center.”

Students said, “We have been doing our best, making and uploading videos to social media such as KakaoStory, Facebook, and Twitter about the reality of the betting center and the dangers it poses to our school district. But the KRA has ignored our voices and continued to work on opening the betting center, even though Article 1 of the Juvenile Protection Act states that juveniles must be protected and relieved from ‘injurious environments,’ including ‘entertainment establishments harmful to juveniles’ like off-site betting centers.” After the press conference, Sacred Heart students submitted a written petition to the Blue House requesting that the betting center be closed.

The Special Measures Committee for the Expulsion of the Yongsan Off-Track Betting Center and other civic groups have requested a public interest audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection on whether the betting center, which opened its doors despite opposition both from local residents and the local government, poses a serious threat to the public interest.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]