I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Court backs professor over political expression
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Prof. Yoo Jong-il
By Kang Hyun-kyung
A court ruled in favor of a professor who campaigned for the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) during the National Assembly elections last year in a faculty sanction case.
The Seoul Administrative Court said that the Korea Development Institute (KDI) School of Public Policy and Management’s one month suspension of Professor Yoo Jong-il for his political activities was “too harsh.”
It said Prof. Yoo simply expressed his views and what he found in his past academic activities to support the DP during the election.
“There is no room for misinterpretation that the views he expressed during the elections were his own. No one would translate that he represented the KDI or that the expression of his ideas would tarnish the image and honor of the institute,” the court said.
The ruling was made following Yoo’s challenge of the school authorities’ one month suspension after he returned to school in June last year, two months after the election.
Yoo unsuccessfully applied to run in the election on the DP ticket. During the election period, he was in charge of the economic democratization committee of the party and spearheaded campaign pledges to “counter corporate greed.”
The KDI school authorities initially imposed a three month suspension on Yoo, saying he was involved in 38 political activities without prior approval of the school.
Yoo claimed that he sought a leave of absence and submitted relevant documents to the school. He went on to say that he only found out later that his request was rejected.
The professor took the case to the Appeal Commission for Teachers to challenge the school authorities’ decision. The commission reduced the penalty to a one month suspension.
The professor then took the case to the administrative court.