I think school uniforms should be mandatory. They play an important role in being recognized as a student of a certain school. Furthermore, uniforms are not only for schools but also for certain jobs such as police officers, nurses, etc. You can see many employees wearing uniforms. However, some schools have relaxed the requirement to wear a uniform, allowing for individuality and practicality. Nevertheless, there are two reasons I insist on the need to wear school uniforms.

First, wearing school uniforms alleviates discrimination. If schools allow students to wear the clothing of their choice, there will be a discernible difference in the clothing worn between the rich and the poor. Schools are places where students should be educated equally and experience socialization. But if schools allow students to choose their clothes, that feeling of equality will collapse.

Many students like expensive, famous brands like adults do. They are interested in fashion brands. Therefore, one mistaken idea is believing that a system of classification will not develop among students even if they are allowed to wear what they want. Even though wearing uniforms somewhat limits freedom of choice, it is better to have students wear uniforms to maintain uniformity, thereby preventing problems that may arise from allowing clothing freedoms. Additionally, allowing students to make their own choices can lead to students taking an excessive interest in expensive, famous brands, which can put a lot of pressure on individual students besides their families.

Second, by wearing uniforms, students can feel a sense of unity at their schools. Since the designs of school uniforms are diverse, different clothing is worn at each school, which can lead to different characteristics at each school. Thus, wearing a uniform expresses the individuality of a school. This makes students feel a sense of community and unity with their school. In Korea, many students envy Japan's high school culture, so many voices are calling for an enjoyable high school life through cultural activities like in Japan. Such cultural activities in Japan result from a sense of community among students and a sense of unity in schools, which school uniforms help to develop. Additionally, Inter-High, a national competition involving all high schools in Japan, also famous in Korea, is very popular because of schools’ sense of unity and community.

Emphasizing a sense of community and not letting students dress freely may sound outdated. However, the advantages of uniforms mentioned above cannot be ignored at the social level. Crucially, they outweigh the individual concerns of students. Therefore, I am in favor of maintaining the current school uniform system.