Sogang Univ. in court battle with whistle blowing professors

By Lee Hyo-sik

Sogang University in Seoul is embroiled in a court battle with a group of its professors over the disciplinary action it took against them for exposing a colleague’s misappropriation of state research funds.

The university said Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Administrative Court to protest a decision by the Appeal Commission for Teachers which is affiliated with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, concerning its action.

In February, the commission recommended that the school withdraw its decision to dismiss four professors of the department of business administration for disclosing a fellow professor’s embezzlement of government funds.

Instead, it suggested that two professors be suspended from their positions for three months and the other two have their wages cut for the same period.

In July last year, Sogang moved to expel the four professors who exposed the corruption, arguing that they damaged the school’s reputation and verbally abused other professors and students in the process.

Immediately after the school’s decision, the four professors filed a petition with the commission, which was established to resolve conflicts among teachers, school management and students. But they were not satisfied with the commission’s recommendation.

The professors then filed a suit with the court, insisting they did nothing wrong and that three-month suspensions and pay cuts were too severe.

Involved parties can file a lawsuit with administrative courts across the country within 90 days if they do not accept the committee’s recommendations.

A Sogang university administration official said the school will dismiss the professors through proper judicial proceedings, stressing that the professors severely tarnished the school’s image and disgraced members of the Sogang community.