By Lee Kyung-min
Students from Korea University are up in arms about the university’s acceptance of the resignation of an engineering professor who police are investigating over allegations he sexually harassed a graduate student for six months.
They claim the university “let him off the hook” as by accepting the resignation the professor, surnamed Lee, he will be entitled to appropriate benefits. Students from Korea University are up in arms about the university’s acceptance of the resignation of an engineering professor who police are investigating over allegations he sexually harassed a graduate student for six months.
When police began their investigation in early November, after receiving a complaint from the student’s father, he tendered his resignation and the school accepted it on Nov. 28.
Following this, the university’s internal inspection into his alleged wrongdoing was halted. With his career record remaining clean, he will be able to receive severance pay and a pension, and find a new teaching job, the students said.
Strongly protesting the decision, the students released a statement Thursday demanding the university retract the decision and continue its internal investigation.
“What the university needs to do is protect students, not abuse them by protecting professors who deserve punishment,” they said in the statement.
They added that by accepting the resignation and avoiding looking into the case, the school did not do the minimum to protect the victim’s human rights.
“The professor’s abuse of power was an institutional failure condoned by the university. We demand strong countermeasures so that Lee will never be able to teach again and this kind of action will not recur.”
They also called for an improvement in the treatment of graduate students.
Regarding the resignation, officials at the university said they did what they thought was best in the situation, as an internal investigation was impossible because Lee refused to answer questions.
“We understand the students’ demands, but we can’t retract the resignation because it has already been accepted,” an official said.
Police are investigating Lee over allegations that he kissed the victim on the cheeks, touched her on the thigh, and forced her to send him pictures of her.
According to police, on Aug. 19, Lee allegedly gave her a lift in his car and forcibly tried to kiss her. When she refused, he allegedly said, “Open it.” Lee claimed that he meant the door, not her mouth.
The victim’s father lodged a complaint with the university’s Equal Rights Center on Oct 29, but Lee refused to answer the center’s questions. The father then filed a complaint with Songpa Police Station, southern Seoul, on Nov. 6.
On Nov. 11, the victim attempted to commit suicide by swallowing pills. She has been receiving treatment for psychological trauma since then, according to her father.
The victim said that it was not easy for her to reveal the harassment as she was receiving a 30 million won ($26,000) state scholarship offered on the condition of four years continuous study.