Students at women's universities protest plans to admit male students

Dongduk Women's University students gathered to protest discussions to turn their school into a co-ed institution. Students at Sungshin Women's University also condemned their university after discovering plans to admit male international students.

Dongduk Women's University students hold up signs urging the university to stop discussions about changing the university into a coeducational institution at the university campus in Seongbuk District, northern Seoul, on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Hundreds of Dongduk Women's University students gathered to protest discussions to turn their university into a coeducational institution.

Students at Sungshin Women's University also condemned their university after discovering plans to admit male international students.

Around 200 students stood in front of the main building at Dongduk Women's University campus in Seongbuk District, northern Seoul, on Tuesday, holding signs that urged the university to end discussions about becoming a co-ed institution.

"Our emergency committee will not stop the boycott of classes and sit-down protests until we achieve the following three goals," said the emergency committee during a press conference on Tuesday. "We demand that the school formally end the school's discussions of changing [Dongduk Women's University] into a coeducational institution, implement the direct election of the university president and announce further plans for male undergraduate international students."

The emergency committee, comprised of the university's student council and feminist student club Siren, will conduct relevant discussions and protests. The committee is organizing a boycott of classes starting Tuesday while sharing class materials online to help students not attending classes.

The committee had scheduled a meeting with university officials on Monday, but could not meet with representatives until Tuesday morning.

With students attempting to force their way into the president's office on Monday, police were dispatched to the university, with comments from the police sparking controversy online.

A video shared on YouTube shows a police officer trying to calm students down by saying, "You will later become teachers, have children and parent them," with students shouting that they would not.

According to Seoul Jongam Police Precinct, the police said this because students tried to break into the office while pounding the door with a fire extinguisher.

A student holds a sign about boycotting classes at Dongduk Women's University on Tuesday [LEE TAE-HEE]

The protests come after Dongduk Women's University students learned their university had been discussing turning the school into a co-ed university. The university clarified it only discussed the change as a possible idea during a meeting to set goals for 2040, with nothing finalized.

However, university fillings show six male students were admitted to the university's Korean Language & Culture Studies program this year. Korean Language & Culture Studies is an undergraduate program only for international students, with admission decided beyond the regular admissions quota.

Hundreds of Dongduk Women's University jackets were also laid in front of the university's main building in protest, with around 400 alumni diplomas printed out and taped to the ground to show support to the students.

Lee Song-yi, co-chair of the emergency committee, said students are angry over several incidents in recent years, including a 2018 incident in which a man posted photos of himself engaging in lewd behavior inside a classroom and a professor's sexual assault of a student. "Outside of school, there are issues such as the Sindang Station murder, a medical student murdering his girlfriend, the Busan roundhouse kick incident, women being scrutinized for using the finger-pinching gesture and a man assaulting a woman for having short hair," she said.

"Although the university isn't a perfect haven, we have felt free inside the university campus, and getting rid of a safe space where women can freely express their opinions goes against the founding purposes of the university."

Following the news at Dongduk Women's University, students at Sungshin Women's University also found their school will open applications for the International School of Korean Culture and Technology to male students.

According to the university's international admissions guidelines, "students can apply for the International School of Korean Culture and Technology regardless of gender."

The International School of Korean Culture and Technology is a new department open exclusively to international students and will accept applications for the inaugural class starting Dec. 2.

"The university did not notify the news to the student council or its students, making the decision on its own and merely announcing admission guidelines," read a statement released by Sungshin Women's University's student council on Tuesday. "Until when will the students have to be notified of such important information about the university in a one-way manner and not through mutual communication?"

The student council demanded the university transparently share its plans with students and halt plans to admit male students.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]