"Legal Action Will Be Taken Against the Spread of False Information"
"Profanity Also Coming Through the Student Council Communication Channel"

The Student Council (SCC) of Dongduk Women's University, Naran, announced on the 24th that they have confirmed the existence of KakaoTalk open chat rooms impersonating enrolled students and the SCC, and warned of legal action against the spread of false information.

On the same day, the SCC released a statement titled "Student Council's Position on the Spread of False Information and Defamation" via Instagram. The SCC pointed out, "We have confirmed that there are multiple KakaoTalk open chat rooms and Instagram accounts impersonating the Student Council and enrolled students of Dongduk Women's University. Furthermore, baseless stories from these chat rooms are being reported in the media without fact-checking." They added, "The Student Council Naran hereby informs that legal action will be taken against such impersonation and dissemination of false information."

Additionally, the SCC emphasized, "Along with impersonation and spreading false information, many abusive and defamatory messages have been received through the Student Council's communication channels (Instagram DM, email, KakaoTalk open chat rooms). We will collect all abusive and defamatory messages received through these channels and take legal action."

On the afternoon of the 24th, the area in front of the Baekjunyeon Memorial Hall at Dongduk Women's University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, is covered with lacquer paint opposing the transition to coeducation. Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, on the 7th, news spread that the Dongduk Women's University faculty committee was discussing transitioning to a coeducational system, which sparked widespread dissatisfaction among students, especially online. In response, the SCC issued a statement the next day demanding the withdrawal of the reckless coeducation transition and hoping that such unreasonable matters would never be raised again. However, students strongly opposed the coeducation transition discussions, refusing to attend classes and occupying the main building. Additionally, messages opposing the coeducation transition covered the exterior walls, floors, and various facilities of the school buildings sprayed with lacquer spray.

The internal conflict at Dongduk Women's University appears to have been temporarily resolved on the 21st when the school decided to suspend discussions on the coeducation transition. This came 11 days after students opposed the transition, occupied school buildings, and continued protests.

However, controversy continues over who should be held responsible for the damages caused by the protests. The school estimates that removing the lacquer paint and cleaning the campus will cost up to 5.4 billion KRW and insists that legal action is inevitable. When the SCC stated that "(the violent protests) were not led by the student council but were spontaneous actions by an unspecified number of students driven by anger," the school reportedly rebutted, saying, "Aren't you representatives of the students?"