"Jeong Sun-shin Father and Son Embarrassing Alumni" SNU Poster, What About the Past?

28th Seoul National University 'Jeong Sunshin's Son School Violence' Criticism Poster
Continuing Means of Criticism Including MeToo and Hong Kong Protests Support

The university poster culture is gaining renewed attention amid the controversy over school violence involving the son of lawyer Jeong Soon-shin, who was appointed as the head of the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters but resigned after just one day. Although campus bulletin boards are filled with notices and promotional posts and opinion sharing on social networking services (SNS) is active, posters still seem to maintain their role as a means of expressing opinions, albeit in smaller numbers.

On the 28th, a poster criticizing Jeong’s appointment was posted on the bulletin board of the Seoul National University Central Library. The author, who identified themselves as a student from the College of Human Ecology, class of 2022, criticized both Jeong and President Yoon Seok-yeol and even called for impeachment.

The author stated, "Jeong Soon-shin’s son is currently enrolled in the Seoul National University Department of Philosophy and fully deserves to be listed among the shameful alumni alongside Yoon Seok-yeol and Jeong Soon-shin," adding, "Yoon Seok-yeol, a hypocritical, double-standard, prosecutor dictatorship, no longer qualifies as president. Appointing the head of the National Police Agency who is a parent of a school violence perpetrator, unfair and irrational Yoon Seok-yeol must be impeached."

On the 28th, a poster criticizing lawyer Jeong Sun-shin, who was appointed and then dismissed as the head of the National Investigation Headquarters, was posted on the bulletin board of the Central Library at Seoul National University. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Seoul National University has previously seen several posters criticizing the government. In October last year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a "stern warning" over a satirical cartoon about the Yoon Seok-yeol administration that won a gold prize at a local comic festival, sparking controversy over freedom of expression. Posters criticizing this were posted in front of the student union building and the central library on the Seoul National University campus.

In 2019, opposing posters were posted side by side regarding the reinstatement of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk as a professor at Seoul National University. In November of the same year, banners and posters supporting the Hong Kong democracy protests appeared.

The university poster culture was a means for students to criticize society during the 1980s when media suppression was rampant. However, after democratization and the rapid increase in media outlets, the role of posters quickly diminished, and currently, students mainly communicate through SNS, online communities, and university life platforms such as the 'Everytime' bulletin board.

In the 2010s, there was a brief resurgence of poster culture. The 2010 poster titled "Today I Quit University, No, I Reject It," criticizing the hyper-competitive university society, and the 2013 poster "Are You All Well?" criticizing the political situation, marked the beginning of this revival.

Posters also played a significant role in sparking the Me Too movement on campuses. In 2017, discriminatory remarks by some professors at Sookmyung Women’s University were exposed, and in 2019, allegations of sexual harassment by a professor at Seoul National University were revealed through posters. The unfiltered nature of posters helped fuel the Me Too movement.

At Inha University, where a student died after a fall following a sexual assault incident on campus last year, posters criticizing the sexist university culture were posted. The author referred to past incidents of sexual harassment in university group chats and proposed "discussions for a safe and equal university."