Konkuk University Investigates After Mocking Videos of Former President Roh Moo-hyun Played in Classrooms
Official Response to Follow After Fact-Finding Inquiry
Recently, Konkuk University has launched an investigation after some classroom computers began automatically playing content suspected of political bias.
On June 14, news outlets such as Newsis reported that over the past two to three months, there have been repeated incidents during classes at Konkuk University where classroom computer backgrounds were changed to images of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, or where mocking videos were automatically played.
The content in question reportedly featured images of the late President Roh’s face turned upside down and included mocking captions, resembling videos and images distributed on the far-right online community Ilbe Storage (Ilbe).
A male student at Konkuk University, identified as A, told Newsis, "Songs and images used on Ilbe appeared on the classroom computers," adding, "I personally witnessed a video mocking former President Roh Moo-hyun being played recently."
Another student, a female identified as B, stated, "I felt uncomfortable after watching the video and couldn’t finish it," and added, "The professor and students were so flustered that the class was suspended for a while."
These incidents mainly occurred in the Industry-Academia Cooperation Building and the Humanities Building, but similar cases were also detected in other buildings such as the College of Engineering. In some classrooms, classes were interrupted when the videos played automatically, and accounts of these experiences were posted on Konkuk University’s anonymous community, Everytime.
As the controversy grew, the university began an investigation. The administrative office of the College of Humanities recently posted a notice stating, "There have been reports of unauthorized manipulation of classroom computer desktops and files, disrupting normal classes. We are currently securing CCTV footage."
Additionally, the College of Humanities student council reported that, after discussions with the administrative office, technical measures were taken to restrict changes to desktop backgrounds on some classroom PCs in the Humanities Building.
After the notice was posted, it is reported that no further similar incidents have occurred. The individual responsible for these actions has not yet been identified, and the case has not led to a police investigation.
The university stated that the administrative office is currently verifying the facts, and will issue an official response once the investigation is complete.
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