Dongduk Women's University Students Under Police Investigation for Protests Against Coeducation Transition
Students from Dongduk Women's University have gained attention after being criminally charged by the school for occupying the campus in protest against the transition to coeducation.
The Seoul Police's Criminal Investigation Unit plans to summon and interrogate about ten Dongduk Women's University students, who have been charged with joint property damage and joint building trespass, as suspects sequentially this week.
This follows a request from the police in February for them to appear, which had been postponed for reasons such as hiring a lawyer, and a subsequent request for attendance.
The incident began when Dongduk Women's University filed a complaint against 21 individuals, including the student council president, on November 29 of last year. The university deemed it necessary to investigate due to extensive damage and suspicions of external intrusions.
A representative from Dongduk Women's University stated, "We need to clearly ascertain the damage and the possibility of outside individuals entering in order to determine a course of action."
Dongduk Women's University is experiencing conflicts with students over the issue of the transition to coeducation, and this incident is seen as an extension of that conflict. The students protested against the university's decision, leading to charges of building damage and illegal occupation. This situation calls for dialogue and negotiations between the university and the students.
Image source: Choi Hyun-ah, President of the Dongduk Women's University Student Council, and students from the 58th Emergency Committee, along with lawyers from the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, held a press conference on the 20th in front of the main building of Dongduk Women's University, located on Hwarang-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, condemning retaliatory legal actions and student rights violations. The students demanded that the university cease legal actions and engage in dialogue. 2025.2.20/News1. Dongduk Women's University students and attendees held a rally near Anguk Station on the 3rd, urging the university to withdraw its complaint against students while holding signs depicting cotton flowers. The cotton flower is the university's emblem. 2025.3.3/News1.
