Incheon National University Presidential Election Controversy Continues... Professor Choi Gye-woon Appeals After Injunction Dismissal

Incheon District Court: "Final Candidate Appointment is the Exclusive Authority of the Board"
Professor Choi: "Will Contest the Illegality of the Biased Board in the Appeal Trial"

Professor Emeritus Choi Gye-woon of Incheon National University is holding a press conference in protest against the board's decision on the presidential candidate.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Amid controversy surrounding the upcoming presidential election at the National University of Incheon, Professor Emeritus Choi Gye-woon, who ranked first in the preliminary candidate evaluation but was excluded from the final candidates, continues to pursue legal action.

On the 26th, after the Incheon District Court dismissed his injunction request to suspend the effect of the university board’s resolution on the presidential election, Professor Emeritus Choi immediately appealed to the Seoul High Court and announced on the 28th that he will also proceed with the main lawsuit simultaneously.

He stated, "I believe the Incheon District Court’s dismissal was because it did not reflect the board’s illegality in its ruling," adding, "In the appeal trial, I plan to focus on raising the issue of the board’s biased and unlawful conduct."

With Professor Emeritus Choi’s appeal, the Ministry of Education’s process of recommending the president’s appointment is expected to be postponed for 2 to 3 weeks until the Seoul High Court’s decision is made.

Previously, the Civil Division 21 of the Incheon District Court (Presiding Judge Yang Hwan-seung) dismissed Professor Emeritus Choi’s injunction request to suspend the effect of the board’s resolution on the presidential appointment.

The court stated, "Even if the Presidential Recommendation Committee ranked the three candidates, that ranking does not have any legal effect," and "It is the board’s inherent authority and broad discretion to decide who to appoint as the final candidate through whatever procedure," explaining the reason for dismissal.

On the 1st, the National University of Incheon held a board meeting attended by nine internal and external members, including current President Jo Dong-seong, and selected Professor Lee Chan-geun of the Department of Trade as the final candidate for the next president from among three preliminary candidates.

At the Presidential Recommendation Committee meeting held on the 7th of last month, five preliminary candidates were evaluated by combining the policy evaluation team’s voting results (75%) and the committee’s evaluation scores (25%) to rank the top three candidates. Among them, Professor Choi received the highest score, with Professor Emeritus Park In-ho and Professor Lee ranking second and third, respectively.

Professor Choi, who ranked first in the preliminary candidate evaluation, held a press conference to protest after Professor Lee, who ranked third, was selected as the final candidate, and on the 9th, filed a lawsuit against the university seeking nullification of the board’s resolution, along with this injunction request.

Professor Choi claimed, "The process of selecting the presidential candidate this time was a board’s arbitrary action that completely ignored the opinions of the university members." Some students, faculty, and alumni of the National University of Incheon also pointed out problems in the presidential selection process, and one student filed a petition to the Blue House.

Meanwhile, if the university board recommends Professor Lee to the Minister of Education for appointment, the president will make the final appointment of the next university president. The new president’s term will be four years, from July 29 this year to July 28, 2024.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.