[Opinion] Shaving Heads for Good Cause

People shave their heads for various reasons. It is said that criminals were forced to get their heads shaved before execution. They were supposed to repent their sins while their hair grew long. Shaving heads is an act of paying respect to Buddhist preaching to those who become monks. They shave their heads to shake off all the worldly thoughts inside their mind. In the movie `Aje Aje Bara Aje,` actress Gang Su-yeon sheds bead-like tears as she has her head shaved to become a monk, which means she cuts off her relationships with the outer world.

Individuals or member of groups choose to shave their heads to show their determination. For the same reason, athletes or students shave their heads before a big match or test. People in this country have often seen workers shaving their heads in a gesture of collective protest. Many members of unions indeed have had their heads shaved this year. Some 5000 unionists at Chongheung Bank shaved their heads during demonstrations last month, setting a new record in the number. 21 professors at a privately-owned college held a relay head-shaving ceremony in May this year in protest against the unilateral decision making by the foundation. Some actors and directors shaved their heads during anti-war protests held at Myungdong Cathedral earlier this year, denouncing American-led attack on Iraq.

More recently an incumbent governor shaved his head at downtown Seoul. Governor of North Cholla Province Gang Hyun-wook came to Seoul with representatives of residents and shaved his head while urging the government not to succumb to environmental groups` pressure to stop Saemangeum Project. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Kim Young-jin, who submitted a letter of resignation in protest to the court`s decision to suspend the controversial reclamation project, is known for his head shaving at the 1993 Uruguay Round talks held in Geneva, Switzerland opposing the government decision to open the rice market.

Even top managers of companies now shave their heads. Factory managers at LG Chemical have recently shaved their heads to counter a general strike held by unionists. A chief executive officer at a small company in Changwon Industrial Complex appeared with his head shaved a day after a trade union was launched. And people began to sympathize with managers, saying `they must have been desperate to do the thing long considered an act of laborers` determination` Seeing people shave their heads here and there in the society, however, the public are worrying and feeling insecure. The act of shaving heads is seen as confrontational rather than reconciliatory, which means that the society becomes increasingly a hard place to live on. They must have their good causes of doing so, but watching them is not a pleasant experience at all. Doubting how effective the strategy is, we now wonder when the time of head shaving will end.

Song Young-eon, Editorial Writer, youngeon@donga.com