"Deletes This Easily..." Dongduk Women's University '5.4 Billion Won Restoration Cost' Controversy

School Officials: "To Prevent Further Damage..."

Students and the school administration sharply clashed over the cleaning costs of lacquer paint resulting from protests by Dongduk Women's University students opposing the transition to a coeducational system.

A phrase opposing the engineering conversion is written on the crosswalk within the campus of Dongduk Women's University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, Dongduk Women's University estimated that the damage caused to the university by the students' protests amounted to up to 5.4 billion KRW. "Although this is an estimate by an external company and not exact, the damage is estimated to range from 2.44434 billion KRW to 5.44434 billion KRW," the university stated. Dongduk Women's University argued, "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." The university also filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 29th of last month against about ten students, including the student council president, on charges of joint property damage and joint trespassing.

In response, the students argued that the school itself caused the protests and that the estimated restoration costs were excessive. Recently, the controversy intensified when a cleaning company shared a video of a trial removal of the lacquer paint covering Dongduk Women's University. The company said that after applying chemicals to the lacquered areas and wiping them with a sponge, "after conducting the removal process twice, 90% of the lacquer could be easily removed." However, the company stated that the cost was a separate issue due to the price of the chemicals.

Consequently, Dongduk Women's University students and supporting citizens expressed that "the cleaning costs estimated by the school lack credibility." Students responded with comments such as, "The school exaggerated the amount by mentioning 2 to 5 billion KRW when it can be removed so easily and quickly with just one chemical," and "The amount is unconvincing as it was presented without even a minimum cleaning company estimate."

In response, Dongduk Women's University explained, "The previously announced estimated cost was intended to inform students of the seriousness of the situation and to prevent further damage," adding, "The facilities team is currently calculating an accurate estimate."

Meanwhile, Dongduk Women's University decided to form a committee involving students to publicize the issue of transitioning to coeducation. At the fifth meeting held the day before, the university's executive team and the student council agreed to promote the 'Coeducation Transition Public Deliberation Committee' for six months starting from March next year. The student council stated in a press release that they "considered ways to officially and fully convey students' opinions to the university headquarters regarding the transition to coeducation."