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South Gyeongsang education office apologizes after posting 'inappropriate' meme to social media

Published: 29 Oct. 2025, 14:52 Updated: 30 Oct. 2025, 14:26

A video parodying a viral meme of a dance set to girl group AOA's ″Miniskirt″ (2014) was uploaded by the Gyeongsangnamdo Office of Education on Oct. 23. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A provincial education office has apologized after posting a social media video of a woman dancing in a mini dress to a K-pop song in an attempt to tap into a viral meme that has instead sparked criticism over alleged sexism and the sexualization of women in public institutions.

The Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education's official Instagram account uploaded a video showing a woman in a black mini dress and boots swinging her hips to "Miniskirt" (2014) by girl group AOA on Thursday. The captions read “Is it because my hips won’t stop?” and “Please choose me,” and the video was tagged with the hashtags “Hip Communication” and "Can’t Stop My Hips Syndrome."

The video parodied a viral meme created by an online content creator. The so-called “Can’t Stop My Hips Syndrome” meme features people swinging their hips side to side to the rhythm of AOA’s “Miniskirt.” The catchy beat and simple choreography have made it widely popular on social media platforms in recent weeks.

However, critics said the video was too sexual for an official account operated by a public education institution.

On Monday, the South Gyeongsang branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union issued a statement saying, “The video clearly objectifies women and seriously damages the dignity of a public education institution.”

The group added that it was “a hateful piece of content created only to boost view counts by following a viral meme.”

The union further argued that “wearing revealing clothing and dancing suggestively does not constitute the work duties of an education office employee,” calling it a potential violation of labor rights.

As the controversy grew, the education office deleted the video. On Tuesday, it issued a public apology, saying, “Our intention was simply to promote South Gyeongsang's education news through a meme, but we acknowledge that the expression was inappropriate.”

"As an educational institution, we should have prioritized values of gender equality and human rights. We sincerely apologize for causing discomfort," the office added.

It concluded by pledging to strengthen oversight, saying, “We will ensure that future productions strictly comply with regulations and prevent any potential human rights violations.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]