"Prolonged Conflict Is Negative"... Dongduk Women's University Withdraws Charges Against Sit-in Protest Students

Dongduk Women's University Withdraws Complaints Against 19 Students
Criminal Charges Filed by the President Dropped After Protests Over Coeducation
Investigations Into Property Damage and Obstruction of Business May Continue

Dongduk Women's University is reported to have withdrawn the charges against students who staged an on-campus sit-in protest last year in opposition to the discussion about transitioning to a coeducational system. On May 14, the Emergency Committee of the Dongduk Women's University Student Council released a statement on social media, saying, "Through a lengthy discussion process with the university, we confirmed the willingness of both students and the university to communicate. The Emergency Committee and the Central Operations Committee were informed during a meeting the previous day that the university had decided to withdraw its criminal complaints against 19 students."

Dongduk Women's University is reported to have withdrawn the charges against students who staged an on-campus sit-in protest last year in opposition to the discussion about transitioning to a coeducational system. Dongduk Women's University Student Council Emergency Committee Instagram

The Emergency Committee stated, "In order to achieve the withdrawal of criminal charges and disciplinary actions, we began meeting with the Student Affairs Office on March 5 and held about ten meetings with the university's leadership. During the communication process with the university, we requested mediation from the National Assembly, and we would like to thank the Chairperson and members of the National Assembly's Education Committee for their efforts to ensure smooth negotiations between both sides."

They added, "It was only possible to achieve today's valuable outcome?the withdrawal of criminal charges?because of the collective will of 8,000 students, including 2,000 Dongduk students who attended the emergency student assembly last November and 900 who gathered at the student assembly held on March 19 this year. Starting with the withdrawal of criminal charges, we will always stand by our fellow students and take the lead in promoting democratization within the university."

It was reported that, on the afternoon of the same day, the university president, the leadership, and the Central Operations Committee held a final meeting and then submitted the withdrawal of the criminal complaint and a statement of non-punishment to the police. However, investigations into students accused of property damage and obstruction of business may continue. This is because these charges are not subject to prosecution only upon the victim's complaint (non-complainant offenses), meaning criminal punishment can proceed regardless of the victim's wishes. The Emergency Committee added, "We will continue to do our utmost to protect our fellow students in the police investigation, which is proceeding separately from the university's withdrawal of the complaint."

In November last year, signs opposing the engineering conversion were posted at Dongduk Women's University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The protest at Dongduk Women's University began in November last year when it became known that some faculty members had mentioned "promoting a transition to a coeducational system" during the process of establishing a university development plan. As the protests spread, students occupied the space where a career and employment fair was scheduled to be held and spray-painted various campus facilities, which sparked controversy. In response, the university filed criminal complaints under the president's name against 19 students who participated in the protests, accusing them of joint property damage and joint unlawful entry. The estimated damages were up to 5.4 billion won.

According to Yonhap News on May 15, a Dongduk Women's University official stated, "Both sides agreed that prolonged and escalating conflict could have a negative impact on the university's development. We hope this will serve as an opportunity to improve relations and establish a framework for communication between the university and students," adding, "A statement from the president will be released soon."