‘Poo school’ in South Korea to change name after decades of teased students

An elementary school in South Korea has decided to finally change its name after 55 years of being a laughing stock.

The Daebyun Elementary School in Gijang-gu, Busan announced in August it would rebrand itself after a campaign gathered 4,000 signatures since April for a name change, reported The Korea Times.

Daebyun in Korean means faeces, causing embarrassment for generations of alumni and its current 77 students.

“We want to have a pretty school name,” said a banner put up by parents and students of the school as reported by the Japan Times. “Are you from the poo school?” has reportedly been asked of the school’s students since it was established in 1963.

Daebyun Elementary was initially named after the Daebyun-ri village, a shortened name of nearby Daedonggobyunpo Port.

Proposed changes include Haeparang which means “sea waves”, perhaps in the hope of washing away the past and achieving a fresh, new start for students.

Local newspaper Kyunghyang Sinmun said a number of other schools had embarrassing names, from Junja meaning sperm to Yadong meaning pornography, but these institutions had no plans to rename themselves.

The Inuman Elementary School in the Philippines has also been mocked in the past.

Daebyun Elementary will be able to legally operate under a new name from March 2018.

Liked this? Then you’ll love these…

South Korean teens top in maths and science, but lack interest – report

South Korea dominates list of universities with most research links to industry partners