[Current & Culture] Dongduk Women’s University and a Western Movie

Extreme Clash Over Coeducation Transition
Concerns Rise Over Violent Protests and Campus Destruction
A Complex Equation Involving Financial Crisis and Gender Issues

The student protests at Dongduk Women’s University have escalated into a social issue. The violent nature of the protests has been well documented through numerous reports. However, there have been far fewer reports focusing on the reasons behind it. How did the situation get to this point?

The basic situation is as follows. Due to a decline in new admissions and the resulting financial difficulties, the school administration began discussions about transitioning to a coeducational system, but the students oppose this change. However, the claims from both sides differ significantly. The school says that the issue of transitioning to coeducation has never been properly discussed and that it was just one idea raised during the brainstorming phase. The students claim that discussions are already underway and that they are being excluded from the process. Many people find this puzzling. Even so, does that justify such violent protests?

The sense of crisis felt by outsiders and current students may differ. The students argue that even before this issue arose, there were several precedents where their opinions were ignored in academic administrative processes such as department mergers and faculty recruitment. In other words, this is the result of accumulated anger and a sense of crisis finally erupting. Even if one fully agrees with the students’ claims, it is difficult to agree with this method of protest. The method of struggle should vary depending on the target and issue, and violence should be a last resort.

For example, to defend democracy against a military dictatorship, the mode of struggle inevitably becomes extreme and violent. You cannot just stage a sit-in protest in front of opponents wearing military boots and wielding batons. But what about this case? The campus was reportedly damaged to the tune of tens of billions of won in restoration costs?was the school administration so threatening that violence was the only option? Was the issue so urgent? The final measure was used too early and too easily.

Was that too serious an example? Then let’s compare this situation to flipping a dining table. Imagine a family gathered for a meal and the father suddenly overturns the table. I don’t know if such households still exist, but back when patriarchal atmospheres were widespread, this was a common trope in dramas. Now we all agree that no matter how angry or frustrated you are, such violence is unacceptable. Now imagine replacing the person who flipped the table and broke the household with a child. How should this family resolve the situation? Who should do what first?

Western movie 'There Is No God in That Land'

The more fundamental problem than the nature of the protests is encapsulated in the slogan that became famous during the Dongduk Women’s University incident: “Better to disappear than to open up.” I don’t know if this represents the opinion of all students, but I sincerely hope Dongduk Women’s University does not disappear. First, we need to see if the only options are opening up or disappearing, and from now on, the school and students must work together to solve the problem. It will be a complex equation combining financial difficulties and gender issues with feminism.

I would like to introduce a Western film titled “There Is No God on That Land.” It is very interesting that the film sets its feminist narrative in a time and place where women’s rights were at their worst. Women’s solidarity in the lawless 19th-century West! The beautiful scenery and breathtaking thrills are a bonus. My one-line review is “A combination of Amazons, feminism, and Western.” I strongly recommend it. The best part is that men are embraced not as opponents but as allies in women’s solidarity. Oh, but this work does not contain any solutions related to the Dongduk Women’s University incident. I couldn’t find any, but if there are hidden ones, that would be even better.

Lee Jae-ik, SBS Radio PD and Novelist