Sookmyung president retains job

By Na Jeong-ju

A district court ruled in favor of Sookmyung Women’s University President Han Young-sil, Friday, in a lawsuit filed against the school’s board over its decision to sack her last week.

Han will retain her position, but the feud between Han and board members could escalate further as the board vowed to seek all available measures to kick out her.

The board, headed by Lee Yong-tae, founder of the mid-sized computer manufacturer Trigem Computer, dismissed Han at an unscheduled meeting at a café inside Incheon International Airport at 7:30 a.m. on March 22. It also appointed a professor as her successor.

Han immediately filed a suit to nullify the dismissal, saying the board violated laws in making the decision.

Under the laws on the management of private schools, the board of a school should notify board members and the school at least one week before they vote on any issue. However, the board failed to do so, the court said.

Han and the board clashed over the latter’s alleged misuse of outside donations to the school.

Han had demanded the resignation of board members regarding the matter.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology stripped Lee and five other board members of their positions for misappropriating the funds. Han argues she was sacked in retaliation for making public the violation and reporting it to the ministry.