KAIST 'Yoon Again' Club Fails to Register After Attracting Only One Applicant

Failed to Meet Requirements for Provisional Club Registration

A student at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) attempted to establish a far-right club to rally support for former President Yoon Suk-yeol, but the effort ultimately failed due to a lack of applicants.

Shin Min-gi, Vice Chairperson of the Daejeon Metropolitan City branch of the Justice Party, shared on Facebook on October 1, "There was recent news about a far-right club being formed at KAIST, but its registration ended in a dismal failure," reporting the development.

A promotional banner for the far-right club "Free Daejeon KAIST" within the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Screenshot from social networking service (SNS).

Shin is also known for being forcibly removed by security guards after having his mouth covered while protesting the Yoon administration's decision to cut research and development (R&D) funding during KAIST’s degree conferment ceremony in February last year.

The far-right club identified by Shin is called "Free Daejeon KAIST." The club previously introduced itself as "Daejeon's first patriotic conservative club" on a promotional banner hung on campus and disclosed its main activities. The club outlined plans for so-called "enlightenment campaigns" to expose anti-state forces and the alleged truth of election fraud, as well as anti-China and anti-communist activities, nationalism, campaigns against election fraud, and "Yoon Again" freedom marches demanding the reinstatement of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, a slogan used by far-right supporters.

However, it was reported that Free Daejeon KAIST was ultimately canceled after only one person signed up by the club registration deadline on the 15th of last month. At KAIST, clubs are divided into officially registered clubs and provisionally registered clubs under the Club Association. To register as a provisional club, at least 10 undergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled at KAIST must be secured as members.

Shin stated, "The failure to register the club is because reasonable students have expressed their rejection of conspiracy theories and far-right ideologies through various channels," adding, "We will continue to stand even more firmly against far-right intrusions that disrupt the community by joining forces with diverse members of the local community."