Dongduk Women's University "Maximum Damage Amount 5.4 Billion KRW"
Current Employees Appear on Various Communities Including Exterior
"Need to Remove All Lacquer Coating Down to the Floor and Redo"
Estimated Over 5 Billion KRW for Material Costs, Labor, and Construction Period
As Dongduk Women's University continues to hold protests against the transition to coeducation, concerns about restoration costs are emerging in some quarters. This is due to the expectation that repair expenses will be substantial, given the strong student backlash, including red spray-painted slogans such as 'Absolutely Oppose Coeducation Transition' both inside and outside the campus.
Students' protests against the reported plan for Dongduk Women's University to transition to a coeducational system continue. The photo shows Dongduk Women's University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 18th, numerous posts criticizing the protest methods at Dongduk Women's University appeared on various online communities. In particular, Mr. A, who identified himself as an exterior construction contractor, stated, "The damage cost of 5.4 billion won is not even close," and questioned, "If you block the university's main and back gates, bring everything to a complete stop, and mobilize all workers, maybe you could restore it with 5.4 billion won, but given the nature of a university, is that even possible?"
He added, "Looking at the photos of the school, the campus isn't large, so construction must proceed by blocking specific sections, which will significantly slow down the work," and "Even if the construction area is small, due to current sensitivities regarding construction site safety and fire regulations, the construction period and labor costs will be enormous." He emphasized, "The problem isn't material costs; labor costs for this kind of work are really high."
Mr. A also pointed out the cost of paving blocks. He said, "From photos taken near an apartment, it looks like both asphalt and paving blocks need to be newly installed, and if the student council hears about the paving block installation costs, they might be shocked," adding, "I don't know if the school will charge the students, but given the nature of the university with resident personnel, the construction area has to be kept small. Labor costs will be enormous."
Students' protests against the reported plan for Dongduk Women's University to transition to a coeducational system are ongoing. The photo shows Dongduk Women's University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News.
Earlier, Dongduk Women's University estimated that the damage caused by student protests could reach up to 5.4 billion won. On the 15th, the university announced on its website, "Although this is an estimate by an external company and not exact, the damage is estimated to be between 2.44434 billion won and 5.44434 billion won." This figure includes about 330 million won in damages claimed by the organizer of a canceled job fair due to student intrusion and property damage, 2 to 5 billion won for building repairs and cleaning expenses, and over 100 million won in additional admission-related costs.
The university explained, "For lacquer and paint, depending on the degree of penetration, either simple cleaning or replacement of the building's exterior wall must be decided, and to replace the damaged lacquered parts, the entire section partitioned by the finishing material must be replaced."
Mr. B, who runs a paint application company, said, "It is said that lacquer oil-based paint can be removed with cooking oil, kerosene, paint remover, etc., but this is half true and half false," adding, "For concrete walls, if not much time has passed, various materials can be used to remove it. However, for asphalt or paving blocks, once stained, it is impossible to remove."
He continued, "The only way to remove graffiti is to tear everything up and reapply," and claimed, "The cost of demolition and reapplication is two to three times higher than the initial new application cost."
Students' protests against the reported plan for Dongduk Women's University to transition to a coeducational system are ongoing. The photo shows Dongduk Women's University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News.
Meanwhile, Choi Hyun-ah, president of the Dongduk Women's University Student Council, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 18th and responded to the question about controversy over the aggressive protest methods by saying, "The student council actually intended to engage with fellow students through methods like filibustering and picketing."
She continued, "About a month ago, professors said things like '200 male students will be admitted next year,' 'Since so many are coming, you should prepare,' which likely increased anxiety among students," and explained, "The university administration showed a lukewarm attitude and did not provide clear answers, so anxiety about the transition to coeducation inevitably grew among students, leading to these actions."
She added, "During the academic system reform in March, the university administration also showed a consistently lukewarm attitude and did not try to communicate with students," and said, "This time as well, the anxiety that the school was proceeding without communicating with students probably played a significant role."
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