Shinhan University Dismisses Three Professors, Terminates One for Power Harassment and Verbal Abuse: "Zero Tolerance for Student Rights Violations"

Shinhan University: Human Rights and Educational Authority Undermined by Collusion Between Corrupt Professors and Student Council
Some Student Council Executives Exploited Public Opinion, Causing Severe Damage to Student Rights and Campus Order

The Faculty Disciplinary Committee of Shinhan University (Chairperson: Professor Lim Aeryeon) officially announced on October 10 that it had imposed severe disciplinary measures on four professors for abusing their educational authority and infringing on students' personal rights, including abuse of power and verbal abuse against students. Three professors were dismissed and one was terminated.

Shinhan University campus. Provided by Shinhan University

This disciplinary action was based on the results of an independent investigation conducted over several months by the university's Human Rights Center, which was prompted by reports from affected students. The investigation included student testimonies and an accounting audit. The university emphasized, "This decision was an unavoidable measure to protect students and restore ethics on campus."

Professor A was found to have ordered students to perform personal tasks, misappropriated student association funds for personal use, and exerted financial and psychological pressure on students under the pretext of participating in departmental events and classes. It was also confirmed that Professor A imposed physical punishments such as making tardy students stand with their hands raised, excluded students who were more than 20 minutes late from class and made them wait in the hallway, thereby violating students' right to learn and their personal rights. Additionally, Professor A was found to have manipulated public opinion against a particular professor during class and informal gatherings, and to have orchestrated votes to decide whether that professor could remain, in an attempt to isolate them.

Professor B was found to have forced students to run personal errands, ordered them to assemble late at night, thereby infringing on their right to rest, and committed other unfair acts such as unauthorized access to personal information, threats, and grade retaliation. In particular, Professor B illegally used a student's resident registration number to impersonate the student's father, called the admissions office of a university the student had applied to after deciding to transfer, and obtained information about the student's exam participation. Professor B then played the recording of this call to the student and threatened, "No matter which university you go to, I will tell all the professors," which prevented the student from attending class and resulted in an F grade. This has caused shock and concern.

Professor C infringed on students' autonomy by forcing them to write a 50-page reflection paper and by coercively collecting student association fees. Poor management of equipment also damaged trust in university administration. Furthermore, Professor C made threatening remarks such as, "If you don't like the department rules, you should drop out," and, as the person responsible for equipment management, either failed to keep or arbitrarily discarded the 2024 equipment loan records, seriously undermining transparency and trust in university administration.

Professor D pressured the student council president to purchase expensive items with student association funds and used them for purposes unrelated to student welfare. Professor D was also found to have received gifts from students related to their duties ahead of Teacher's Day, which led to their termination.

The university's investigation revealed that some affected students are receiving psychological treatment for mental aftereffects such as depression and panic disorder.

It was also found that some executives of the student council colluded with the disciplined professors to manipulate public opinion or pressure victimized students.

The university stated, "This is a serious act that undermines the basic order of student self-governance," and announced plans for further investigation.

Shinhan University has defined this incident as a "serious matter that simultaneously destroyed human rights and faculty authority on campus," rather than a mere case of individual misconduct, and announced the following improvement measures.

Shinhan University stated that it will implement comprehensive investigations into problematic departments and student association funds, strengthen operational standards for student self-governing bodies and introduce external audits, expand the independence of the Human Rights Center and establish a permanent reporting system, operate psychological counseling and recovery support programs for affected students, and strengthen follow-up supervision and administrative and criminal accountability for those involved in disciplinary actions.

Meanwhile, during the investigation process, the four professors in question repeatedly refused to comply with audit attendance requests without valid reasons or intentionally delayed the investigation citing "mental instability." Professors A and B also attempted inappropriate contact with the audit team leader immediately after the audit began, and directly contacted victims and witnesses during the audit to pressure them into giving favorable statements, thereby engaging in secondary victimization. Professor A, among those disciplined, is also subject to additional investigation by the Ministry of Education, so the date of enforcement of the disciplinary decision will be determined in consultation with the Ministry.

A Shinhan University official stated, "This disciplinary action is the result of an independent and thorough investigation by the Human Rights Center, prompted by the courageous reports of students," and added, "We will apply a zero-tolerance policy to any acts that violate human rights and disrupt order on campus, regardless of position or rank."

The official continued, "The university will make every effort to restore a healthy campus culture in which human rights, democracy, and the essence of education are respected."

[Right of Reply] Regarding the report on 'Severe Disciplinary Action Including Dismissal of Shinhan University Professors'

On October 10, we reported under the headline <Shinhan University Dismisses Three Professors and Terminates One for Abuse of Power and Verbal Abuse..."Zero Tolerance for Student Rights Violations"> that Shinhan University had dismissed three professors and terminated one.

In response, the professors subject to disciplinary action have stated, "We believe the university's decision to dismiss and terminate us is an unfair disciplinary action due to procedural flaws and factual errors. We have filed an appeal with the Teachers' Appeals Committee and are contesting the facts of the case through the relevant procedures."

This report was made in accordance with mediation by the Press Arbitration Commission.