Dongduk Women's University students rally as legal battle over coed protests intensifies
Published: 10 Feb. 2025, 15:22
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- LEE TAE-HEE
- [email protected]
![Dongduk Women's University students urge the university to withdraw the law suit filed against 21 students during a protest held in front of the Dongduk Building in Jongro District, central Seoul, on Feb. 9. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/10/0a7fef31-a48f-44db-89ae-549d01e08193.jpg)
Dongduk Women's University students urge the university to withdraw the law suit filed against 21 students during a protest held in front of the Dongduk Building in Jongro District, central Seoul, on Feb. 9. [NEWS1]
Dongduk Women's University students held a rally protesting against their school's decision to file a lawsuit against students, with around 150 students also applying to take a semester off in protest.
Around 1,000, according to police estimates, and 700 according to students, gathered in front of the Dongduk Building in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sunday to protest.
Participants chanted that student protests were just and urged the university to withdraw the suit filed against students, also calling for a direct university president election.
Following student protests and demonstrations against Dongduk Women's University discussing possibly becoming a coeducational institution that erupted since November last year, the university filed a lawsuit against 21 students for charges such as property damage, trespassing and obstruction of business.
Although the university has currently halted coed discussions, it plans to start discussions in March through a coed discussion committee with student representatives.
"The university has been disrupting student activities, closing and merging majors in a one-way decision and now even filing a lawsuit," said Park Su-bin, head of the university's emergency student council. "The school must stop the legal actions it is taking against students."
"If the school truly cares about Dongduk [Women's University], the way forward is not to run the school according to the leadership’s preferences but to listen to all members, even if the process is long and complicated."
An association of Dongduk Women's University students also took the microphone during the protest, criticizing the school for prohibiting students from posting handwritten posters or installing funeral wreaths in protest of the possible coed change.
Apart from the protest, around 150 students have applied for a leave of absence as of Sunday in protest.
The student emergency committee expects the actual number to be bigger as the leave of absence application period hasn't ended yet. Dongduk Women's University students can apply to take a semester off for the spring 2025 semester between Feb. 3 and 28.
BY LEE JI-YOUNG, LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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