Sangji Univ. conflicts may spread to other schools

By Lee Hyo-sik

Kwangwoon, Daegu, Kyonggi and other universities under temporary management may face a similar fate to Sangji University, which has been reeling from escalating conflicts between faculty members and students, and the school’s former owner.

Sangji University in Wonju, Gangwon Province, has been embroiled in growing disputes among its stakeholders since August 9 when a mediation committee under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology granted school board seats to some members recommended by the university’s former owner, Kim Moon-gi.

Kim was forced to quit in 1993 after he was put behind bars for admission irregularities and embezzlement charges.

Former owners of other universities under temporary leadership are expecting similar rulings from the committee, while faculty members, students and unionized workers fiercely opposed the return of previous board members to the management positions due to their records of corruption.

If the mediation committee makes similar decisions for these universities, they will also likely plunge into disarray like Sangji.

Against this backdrop, civic groups say the education ministry should reconsider its decision and remove Kim and his cronies from the school board, stressing it should not set a bad precedent for other schools.

On Aug. 9, the mediation committee decided to end Sangji’s temporary governance by selecting eight permanent and one non-regular school board members.

Four out of the five individuals recommended by former owner Kim were appointed to the board as permanent directors, with two from the university’s staff and another two by the education ministry.

Kim himself wanted to be on the school board, but the committee decided not to allow him to return because it could invite strong opposition from students and school employees. Instead, the committee left one remaining post occupied by a temporary director.

A ministry official said the committee’s decision was to return managerial rights of Sangji University to the previous school directors in order to preserve the identity of the private school, adding such a decision will be likely for other universities in a similar situation.

Faculty members and students together with school employees are strongly protesting the ministry’s decision, criticizing the government for allowing the corrupt owner and his confidents to return to Sangji. Former owner Kim’s son, Gil-nam, was appointed as one of permanent board members.

Following the decision, some 30 faculty members and students shaved their heads in protest and others went on a hunger strike. They have also been staging a sit-in protest in front of the ministry’s building in downtown Seoul.

Former owner Kim and his close aides expressed disappointment over the ministry’s decision, saying Kim should have been appointed to the school board. But the education ministry has said it will not change its decision on Sangji’s board members under any circumstances.

On Aug. 6, a group of professors at Duksung Women’s University issued a statement that the school’s faculty members, students and employees opposed the return of former board members.

“What happens at Sangji will have a huge implication on other schools. If the education ministry mishandles the selection of board members, it will suffer from the aftereffects of its decision,” said Kim Jeong-gil, secretary general of Himang21.

Kim urged the ministry to make an all-out effort to resolve the ongoing conflicts at Sangji University by newly appointing individuals with integrity to the school board.

If the ministry makes similar conclusions concerning universities under temporary management, they will also likely become entangled in disputes as their new school board seats will be filled with problematic members with a history of corruption and other irregularities.

Among them are Kwangwoon University, Daegu University, Kyonggi University, Dongduk Women’s University and Duksung Women’s University.