Hate speech seeps into Korean classrooms

“Gravity.” When a science teacher at a high school in Gyeonggi Province was beginning to explain the concept, a few students giggled. Only after class ended did the teacher discover why. In some far-right online communities, the Korean word for gravity, "jungryeok," has been appropriated as coded slang mocking the 2009 death of liberal former President Roh Moo-hyun, who died as a result of a fall from a cliff. The expression has since spread beyond those communities, with some students using it without understanding where it came from. “How can you teach physics without saying ‘gravity?’” asked another teacher at the school, surnamed Lee, who recalled the story shared by their coworker. “About 10 years ago, I rarely came across hate expressions I didn’t recognize. Now, new ones appear all the time and even teachers struggle to keep up.” Teachers say such incidents are becoming increasingly common in classrooms. A recent incident at a high school baseball game highlights how severe the situation has become. Members of the Paichai High School baseball team used chants evokin