Autonomy or survival? Dongduk Women’s Univ. to scrap all-women model in 2029

Spray-painted messages opposing Dongduk Women’s University’s transition to coeducation cover sidewalk across its campus in Seongbuk District, Seoul, Nov. 20, 2024. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin

Debate over the future of women’s universities in Korea has flared up again after Dongduk Women’s University announced plans to admit male students beginning in 2029.

In a statement released Wednesday, the university’s president said the transition would start only after current students graduate, aiming to preserve as much of the women-only learning environment as possible for those who enrolled with that expectation.

The decision came just a day after the university’s coeducation deliberation committee recommended that the school proceed with the change, which the president said the university would accept.

In November last year, students occupied a campus building and staged spray-paint protests to oppose the move.

Based on the committee’s recommendation, the university will review the plan through a series of procedures, including briefings for members of the university, the university development committee and the academic council, before finalizing its policy. University officials said they will also offer a detailed explanation of the issue to the campus community later this month.

The deliberation committee was formed a year ago as students and the government sought to defuse tensions and begin structured discussions on whether to adopt a coeducational model. According to the committee — a 48-member body of students, faculty, staff and alumni — 75.5 percent supported coeducation, while just 12.5 percent favored maintaining its women-only status.

Women’s universities transitioning to become coeducational institutions is not new.

Soodo Women’s Teachers College, now Sejong University, made the switch in 1978. A wave of transitions followed in the 1990s with Sungshim Women’s University becoming the Catholic University of Korea; Hyosung Women’s University, currently Daegu Catholic University; Sangmyung Women’s University, now known as Sangmyung University; and Busan Women’s University, which became Silla University.

According to the education ministry, only seven four-year women’s universities remain in the country: Ewha Womans University, along with Gwangju, Dongduk, Duksung, Seoul, Sungshin and Sookmyung Women's Universities. Including two-year institutions such as Baewha Women’s University and Soongeui Women’s College, the total rises to 14.

Dongduk Women’s University officials argue that the transition is necessary for its survival.

A study of Dongduk’s coeducation plan projected that maintaining the current system could result in a 29.7 billion won ($21 million) deficit by 2040, whereas admitting men would help stabilize finances and boost enrollment. It also noted that the university’s appeal stems more from it being located in Seoul than its current identity as a women’s university.

Posters urging the university to halt plans to become a coeducational school are displayed on campus at Dongduk Women’s University in Seoul’s Seongbuk District, Nov. 20, 2024. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin

However, students are pushing back, arguing that their views were sidelined, despite representing the largest share of the campus community. Their complaints reignited tensions that had only recently subsided.

The student council launched a campuswide vote on the issue starting Wednesday.

It also denounced the president’s announcement, saying they would ask the Ministry of Education and the National Assembly’s education committee to step in so that the voices of students are properly reflected in university governance. The council vowed to continue taking action alongside their fellow students.

Some students already filed complaints through the government’s online petition system, urging the education ministry to block changes to Dongduk’s school charter and intervene in the coeducation plan.

Protests have also resurfaced on campus.

Students staged solo picket demonstrations at the main gate. Alumnae have joined the pushback as well, rallying in front of the university’s Centennial Hall with signs reading, “Scrap the coeducation proposal that ignores student and alumnae voices.”

Amid rising tensions, the university postponed a joint spray-paint removal event for students, faculty and staff on Thursday, after an anonymous online post threatened a knife attack.