SNU Graduate Student Expelled for False Report of "Sexual Harassment by Female Professor"

University Holds Disciplinary Committee Last Month, Decides on Expulsion

A graduate student at Seoul National University was expelled after making false claims of sexual harassment against her academic advisor.

According to Yonhap News on October 10, Seoul National University held a disciplinary committee meeting at the end of last month and decided to expel a woman in her 30s, referred to as A, who was enrolled in the integrated master's and doctoral program.

Seoul National University Main Gate. Yonhap News.

The disciplinary committee determined that A damaged the reputation of her advisor, Professor B (a 55-year-old woman), by posting false statements on social networking services (SNS) after it became difficult for her to obtain her doctoral degree.

In July, A wrote on SNS, "The female professor sexually harassed me during a meeting, saying things like 'I like you' and 'Let's sleep together.' After I refused, I was excluded from experiments and conferences, losing research opportunities." However, an investigation found these claims to be untrue.

She also alleged that a fellow researcher had stolen her research achievements. A claimed that the colleague "took away opportunities to participate in international conferences and research results," but it was found that the researcher identified as the perpetrator had been working on the research even before meeting A.

It has also been reported that A was facing dismissal for not paying tuition, even if she had not been expelled. The police are currently investigating A on charges of defamation by spreading false information.

A Seoul National University official told Yonhap News, "Even after the disciplinary action, A made no effort to restore Professor B's reputation, such as apologizing or providing an explanation to her advisor," adding, "We hope that such incidents do not occur again so that a healthy relationship between advisors and students can be maintained."

Meanwhile, it has been reported that after the recent revision of university regulations, expelled students are no longer allowed to re-enroll at Seoul National University.