"Companies Don't Hire at All" Soongsil University Professor Sparks Controversy Over School-Derogatory Remarks

Students "Apologize publicly to all members"
University "Forming fact-finding committee... will investigate the facts"

A professor at Soongsil University has sparked controversy by making disparaging remarks about Soongsil online, prompting students to demand an apology from the professor. Photo by Soongsil University Central Operations Committee Facebook capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Amid controversy over a professor at Soongsil University making disparaging remarks about Soongsil online, students have demanded an apology from the professor. The university has also formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.

According to Soongsil University on the 7th, Professor S from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the university posted a comment on a YouTube video titled "Comparing Soongsil University vs OO University" on the 31st of last month, saying, "There was a student who attended OO University, retook the college entrance exam, and came to Soongsil University, but I told them to go back, calling them a 'crazy X.'"

He continued, "When I asked why, they said 'in Seoul,' but being 'in Seoul' won't put food on your table. You will realize this when you graduate. Regardless of being 'in Seoul,' companies simply do not hire you." The comment has since been deleted.

As the controversy intensified, the Central Steering Committee, composed of the Soongsil University Student Council and others, stated that Professor S's remarks were problematic and demanded an apology.

In a post on Facebook on the 5th, the committee said, "Professor S tarnished the reputation of our university through such comments on a public YouTube platform," and urged, "Professor S must publicly apologize not only to Soongsil students but to all members of Soongsil University."

They added, "It is shocking that an educator, who should be working in harmony with students as a member of Soongsil University, made such public remarks," criticizing that "judging the value of the university based on the narrow perspective of employment promotes university ranking and betrays students and the school who are doing their best to study despite the difficult learning environment caused by COVID-19."

In particular, they claimed that in the group chat for the course taught by Professor S, he made humiliating remarks such as, "From now on, those who are dissatisfied with their grades should contact me directly and come find me. Don’t be spineless, whether it’s night or weekend, get a grip," which they said were disgraceful enough to make them not want to call him a member of the school community.

The committee also urged the university administration to refer Professor S to the faculty disciplinary committee, disclose the process and results to students, and establish measures to prevent secondary harm.

Soongsil University stated that it has formed a fact-finding committee to ascertain the facts and take appropriate action.