By Han Sang-hee
Clashes over the government-initiated plan to privatize Seoul National University (SNU) are intensifying between its management and opposing professors and students.
Hundreds of professors, administrative workers and students have staged rallies, demanding the government and school scrap the plan to incorporate the state-owned university.
However, SNU President Oh Yeon-cheon made it clear that he will press ahead with the privatization plan despite the growing protest led by the labor union of the prestigious school.
His remark came after some 300 employees from the school’s labor union and students staged a sit-in in the hallway near Oh’s office, locking him and 14 fellow professors inside for almost 12 hours until 3:30 a.m. last Thursday.
Oh said the school will sternly react to illegal labor activities.
“The executives of the school are aware that the recent incident was illegal. We will take firm action on such illegal collective behavior,” the president said in a statement Monday.
“It is regrettable that such an incident happened at SNU. I have the responsibility to maintain order within the school and also to show that we can come up with a solution through communication,” Oh said. “However, we will sternly react to collective action that violates the law.”
The protesters, however, issued a statement as well, saying that if the school does not dismantle the preparation committee for privatization, it will ally with outside groups to continue the fight.
“We were waiting for an answer after demanding reasonable conversation, but (the school) did not respond. It’s a shame they see the incident as illegal,” said Jung Yong-cheol, the head of the school’s labor union which opposes the commercialization of SNU. ”
“They said they wanted to communicate, but this is like turning the incident into a conflict,” he added.
Analysts are saying the conflict over incorporation of the school will likely develop into a political issue, with the Grand National Party supporting the school’s plan and the Democratic Party opposing it.