Yonsei University Students Protest "Secondary Harm"
Ryu Seokchun "I Will Continue Confidently on YouTube"
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Professor Ryu Seok-chun of Yonsei University's Department of Sociology, who sparked controversy by comparing Japanese military victims to women in prostitution and stating that comfort women were a form of prostitution, has launched a YouTube channel. Students have protested, accusing Professor Ryu of committing secondary harm by using the statements that led to his disciplinary action as promotional phrases on YouTube.
Since the 1st of this month, Professor Ryu has started uploading videos on a channel called 'Ryu Seok-chun's TeuldakTV,' which introduces modern Korean history. As of the 15th, the channel has 11 videos and 2,470 subscribers.
Last September, during his Development Sociology lecture in the Sociology major at Yonsei University, Professor Ryu caused an uproar by saying, "The direct perpetrator of (the comfort women) is not Japan," and "Comfort women are a type of prostitution."
During the class, when students asked, "Are you saying the comfort women victims went voluntarily?" he responded, "Even now, the process of becoming a prostitute is partly voluntary and partly forced," and controversially asked, "If you're curious, want to try it once?" This problematic phrase is quoted on Professor Ryu's channel banner as "If you're curious, want to (subscribe, like) once?"
In a video uploaded on the 5th, Professor Ryu addressed the controversy at the time, saying, "If the questions and answers exchanged during the lecture are dismissed as sexual harassment, it makes disciplinary action easier, so I think they are repeatedly picking fights to discipline me through indirect rather than fundamental methods."
In response, some students who have been demanding Professor Ryu's dismissal since last year immediately protested, strongly condemning him for clear secondary harm.
The 'Yonsei University Sociology Department Ryu Seok-chun Incident Student Countermeasure Committee' stated on the 12th, "We have confirmed that Professor Ryu has opened a YouTube channel to completely deny his sexual violence remarks and is instead committing secondary harm," and urged, "We plan to conduct a 'total attack' by reporting his YouTube videos. Let's report Professor Ryu's videos as hateful or malicious content."
'Total attack' is an internet term abbreviated from 'total attack,' referring to idol group fans simultaneously streaming and downloading a specific song or artist to boost their ranking.
However, upon hearing the news the next day, Professor Ryu responded, "(The students) are committing human rights violations by preventing efforts to seek the truth. They just want to bring me down no matter what," and added, "I will continue to boldly broadcast on YouTube and will not bow before the truth."
Meanwhile, Professor Ryu is currently under prosecution investigation for defaming comfort women victims and members of the Justice Memory Solidarity (Jeonguiyeondae).
Last year, civic groups such as the Jeonguiyeondae Citizens' Committee for the People's Livelihood filed complaints and accusations against Professor Ryu for distorting history and defaming victims. The police forwarded the case to prosecution in April with a recommendation to indict him on defamation charges.
Yonsei University imposed a one-month suspension last month on Professor Ryu, citing his controversial remarks made during class last year as the issue.
In response, Professor Ryu expressed his disagreement with the disciplinary committee's decision and filed a lawsuit on the 19th of last month at the Seoul Western District Court against Yonsei University, requesting confirmation of the invalidity of the suspension and a provisional injunction to suspend the disciplinary effect.
According to Yonsei University, Professor Ryu is scheduled to retire in August after completing the first semester of this year.
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