Schools face suits for illegal ‘membership fees‘

By Na Jeong-ju

An association of students from three state-run colleges in North Jeolla Province said it will file a lawsuit against their schools in April to get back “membership fees” the administration had collected from students.

A number of state-run schools in other regions are also facing similar lawsuits by student groups to protest their practices of charging the fees, called “giseonghoibi,” under the pretext of using the funds for the development of school.

The move came after the Seoul Central District Court ruled last month that state-run and public colleges must return the membership fees to students because they have no legal right to collect them. The verdict paved the way for students and graduates of the country’s 52 state-run colleges to insist on similar refunds.

The association representing students attending Jeonju National University of Education, Kunsan National University and Chonbuk National University issued a joint statement Wednesday to demand refunds of the illegal fees.

“We will gather at least 4,000 students who will join our legal action. We expect the lawsuit to be submitted in April,” the statement said. “The court ruling means that universities have no legal authority to charge membership fees, but made it impossible for students to enroll without paying them. They should return the money immediately.”

The education ministry is currently gathering opinions from schools and educational experts to reform the giseonghoibi system.

State-run colleges have been adding the fees on top of tuition since 1963. The combined amount they have collected over the past 10 years is estimated at some 10 trillion won.

They have reportedly misused the funds to pay the wages of school staff and cover work-related spending by presidents and professors.

Student associations on Jeju Island are considering starting a petition to gather signatures of more than 20,000 students for lawsuits against their schools.

Private universities abolished membership fees in 1999 but state-run schools did not. Education officials say some 1.95 million students and graduates are eligible to get some money back.