SEOUL: A professor at Dongguk University has been dismissed over allegations that he repeatedly made sexually inappropriate remarks and engaged in unwanted physical contact with students during drinking gatherings, the university said.
According to Dongguk University, its faculty disciplinary committee voted on June 16 to dismiss the professor from the Department of Cultural Heritage Studies. The dismissal took effect Sunday.
The case first came to public attention in November, when the department’s student council posted notices on campus accusing the professor of repeated sexual harassment and sexual misconduct during gatherings on field trips and other related social events where alcohol was served.
The notices alleged that during a gathering in December 2023, the professor asked only female students to sit next to him and made remarks such as, “Your voice is sexually appealing,” and “If you want good grades, pay for the drinks.” Students also accused him of repeatedly touching their hands and thighs without consent.
Additional allegations emerged from another gathering in October 2024. According to the student council, the professor told a female student that he had requested the meeting because he wanted to drink with her, and remarked in front of both male and female students that “the joy of academic study is far greater than sleeping with a woman.”
After the accusations surfaced, Dongguk University removed the professor from teaching duties and barred him from participating in field trips and university events. In December, the university’s disciplinary committee imposed a three-month suspension.
The university later conducted a special audit and interviewed students. After reviewing additional evidence and testimony, it concluded that the misconduct was serious enough to warrant dismissal.
A student representative from the Department of Cultural Heritage Studies welcomed the decision in a statement posted on an online campus community.
“The dismissal is the minimum measure students have continuously demanded,” the representative said.
“As the professor may file an appeal with the Teachers’ Appeals Review Committee under the Ministry of Education, we will continue to monitor the case and respond throughout any further proceedings.”
Under South Korean law, dismissed faculty members may challenge disciplinary actions through the Education Ministry’s appeals process. The university did not disclose whether the professor plans to appeal. - The Korea Herald/ANN
