The high school President Yoon Suk Yeol and his key aides graduated from has decided to suspend its uniform requirement to protect students from possible abuse from an angry public.

In a letter to students and parents on Thursday, Choongam High School said the decision aims to prevent their students from facing “unfair treatment by certain inconsiderate individuals" on the way to and from school.

"We will allow them to wear casual attire (instead of school uniforms) starting Monday until Feb. 6, 2025 (the last day of the academic year),” the letter wrote.

The school also encouraged students to remain composed if confronted with unfair treatment, while advising them to report any excessive behavior immediately to the school or police and document the incident using their mobile phones.

On the same day, Choongam Academy Foundation Chair Yoon Myung-hwa shared on social media that the school had been overwhelmed with hundreds of protest calls to its offices and that school bus drivers had reported being harassed by passersby.

“The school’s reputation is being tarnished on top of the national disgrace,” she remarked, referencing a petition circulating to change the school’s name and expressing deep frustration with the situation.