[2020 National Audit] Half of University Faculty Involved in Sexual Misconduct Return to Teaching Positions

Assemblywoman Kwon In-sook: "Sexual Misconduct Cases Increased 1.9 Times Compared to 4 Years Ago... About 50% Return to Teaching Positions"
Dedicated Task Force Installation Rate Less Than Half, Budget Allocation Varies Greatly

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The number of sexual misconduct cases involving university faculty has increased 1.9 times compared to four years ago, and half of the faculty members involved in sexual misconduct have returned to the classroom.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Education on the 8th to Kwon In-sook, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of disciplinary cases for sexual misconduct by university faculty, including those at junior colleges, was 29 in 2015, 20 in 2016, 48 in 2017, 69 in 2018, 54 in 2019, and 35 so far in 2020. About 50% of university faculty members who committed sexual misconduct returned to teaching without dismissal or termination.

There were also 45 cases (31%) where faculty members who committed sexual harassment or sexual violence were not dismissed or terminated. Experts pointed out that the Faculty Disciplinary Committee, composed of internal staff, makes it difficult to represent the victims' perspectives as a cause.

The installation rate and support for university human rights centers, which are dedicated organizations for handling sexual grievances within universities, were also found to be insufficient. Among 238 universities and graduate schools, only 89 (37%) had human rights centers installed, which is less than half. The budget size was less than 10 million KRW in 35% of the cases, and the allocation varied greatly by university. For example, Dongyang University was allocated 1.13 million KRW, while Seoul National University received 780 million KRW.

The average number of full-time staff was 0.4 per university, and Representative Kwon pointed out, "There is concern about the chronic overwork of these personnel." Most human rights centers were found to be operated by non-regular staff.

Representative Kwon emphasized, "It is urgent to pass the 'University Human Rights Protection Act,' which mandates the installation of human rights centers and includes student members in the Faculty Disciplinary Committee and the Human Rights Violation Investigation Committee to represent the victims' perspectives."

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