Men banned: Co-ed plans spark protests at women’s universities across South Korea

The dispute has spilled over into the political arena, with both the ruling party and the opposition arguing over different positions.

On November 23, the head of the People’s Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, posted on social media in which he stated that violence should not be tolerated and called for instigators to be held responsible for material damage.

This sparked a sharp rebuke from the opposing Democratic Party, whose leader Jin Sung-joon criticized Han for blaming only the students without addressing the undemocratic actions of the university administration.

The president of the Korea Human Resources Development Public Agency, Lee Woo-young, posted on social media on November 16 that he did not want to hire candidates who graduated from Dongduk.

This sparked an immediate backlash, with Korea’s Ministry of Labor and Employment stepping in to warn against discriminatory hiring practices. Mr. Lee’s post has since been deleted.

While some have suggested that the protests are a manifestation of South Korea’s chronic fight over gender inequality – the World Economic Forum’s June 2024 gender gap report ranked South Korea 94th out of 146 countries – sociology professor Shin Kwang-yeong doesn’t think this for a way.

Professor Shin, who teaches at Chung Ang University in Seoul, told ST: “Students see themselves as a key stakeholder of the university. “So top-down decision-making by the school is what is causing anger and dissatisfaction among students because such a decision would completely change the identity of the university.”