By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The bid of a progressive culture critic to renew his contract for a teaching post at Chung-Ang University was rejected due to ``lack of requirement.''
Critics claim political motivation was factored into the decision.
The school said Friday that it was not renewing the contract of Jin Jung-gwon, a part-time professor in the German Language and Literature department last month.
``The requirements for the part-time professor position says, `A part-time professor should have a main, regular job.' But Jin did not meet that requirement,'' the school said.
The 46-year-old professor has lectured at the university for seven years since 2003, renewing his contract every two years.
Students and other professors of the department said in a statement that the decision infringes on the students' right to receive lectures and is a challenge to the department's autonomy.
``The clause about having to hold a regular job has been virtually ineffective, as each department usually submits a written waiver for freelancers such as writers, critics and musicians when hiring them as part-time professors,'' they said.
Jin has been critical of the Lee Myung-bak administration.
As to the claim, the school said that Jin had been unqualified from his initial appointment in 2003. ``He has renewed his contract so far under the department head's discretion, but the regulation was strengthened in 2007 following instructions from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The tightened rule took effect this year,'' a school official said, adding that seven other part-time professors were also disqualified.
Jin said he would not give a specific interpretation of the issue. ``I taught at the school because the school asked me to, and I will not teach if it asks me not to.''
But he added, ``Since the Lee administration was launched, both the Korea National University of Arts and Chung-Ang University have scrapped my classes, and I heard KAIST will do so, too. Who can say this is just a coincidence?''