Opening Ceremony at School Playground on the 20th at 2 PM
'Direct Election of President' Also Scheduled as an Agenda Item

As rumors about the transition to coeducation have sparked conflicts on campus, current students at Dongduk Women's University plan to hold their own vote on the matter. Since this vote will reflect the actual opinions of the students, attention is focused on the outcome.

On the 20th, the Dongduk Women's University Student Council announced through a press release that they will hold a general student assembly at around 2 p.m. at the university's sports field in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, with all enrolled students expected to attend.

The agenda for this assembly is expected to include two items: 'Transition to Coeducation at Dongduk Women's University' and 'Direct Election System for the University President.' Regarding this, the Student Council stated, "The school has expressed the position that 'opposition to the transition to coeducation is not the opinion of all students, so it cannot be accepted,'" and added, "We plan to clearly convey the opinions of students opposing the transition once again through a general student assembly in which all enrolled students can participate."

On the morning of the 19th, signs opposing the transition to engineering were posted at Dongduk Women's University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, as students continue to protest against the university's reported discussion of switching to an engineering focus. Photo by Yonhap News.

Additionally, judging that the current system where the board of directors appoints the president has further deepened the conflict, the students expressed their intention to propose the direct election of the president as an agenda item. The Student Council said, "Despite continuous meetings and face-to-face requests, the president has been ignoring us, saying he feels 'sad and distressed,'" and added, "We plan to propose the direct election system as an agenda item to convey our opinions to the school."

The quorum for opening the assembly is about 650 students, which is 10% of the 6,500 enrolled students. According to the Student Council, as of the morning of the previous day, about 1,300 students had declared their intention to participate in the assembly.

The conflict at Dongduk Women's University ignited after rumors about the promotion of coeducation surfaced. Since the 11th, some students have continued occupying school buildings in protest. As a result, most building entrances have been blocked, property has been damaged, and collective class boycotts have disrupted the progress of classes. However, it has been confirmed that face-to-face classes for the Painting and Vocal Music majors under the College of Arts resumed from the morning of the previous day.

Regarding the students' protests, Dongduk Women's University has announced a strict response. In a notice posted on the official website the previous day, the school explained, "The transition to coeducation was mentioned as an agenda item at the Innovation Promotion Team meeting on the 5th," but also criticized, "The most serious issue in this incident is that the actions of the protest leaders are extreme and violent."

It continued, "Disrupting classes is a serious criminal act," and warned, "Violence can never be justified under any circumstances. The school will respond strictly to this incident."