"Must Have Sex to Succeed"... Hongdae Students Demand Dismissal of Sexual Harassment Professor

Joint Action Claims "Professor A Demanded Sexual Relations or Made Degrading Remarks to Students Inside and Outside Classroom Since 2018"
Favorite Students Received A+... Allegations of Academic Corruption Raised

On the 8th, stakeholders of the joint action for the dismissal of Professor A, who committed human rights violations at Hongik University College of Fine Arts, held a press conference in front of the main gate of Hongik University in Mapo-gu, Seoul, exposing cases of victimization by Professor A and demanding his dismissal.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] A professor at the College of Fine Arts at Hongik University has been accused of repeatedly sexually harassing and verbally abusing students by demanding sexual relations since 2018.

On the 8th, the 'Joint Action for the Dismissal of Professor A for Human Rights Violations at Hongik University College of Fine Arts,' composed of 17 organizations including the Hongik University Fine Arts Student Council and art and women's groups, held a press conference in front of the main gate of Hongik University in Mapo-gu, Seoul, exposing these facts and demanding a thorough investigation, the dismissal of Professor A, and protection for the victims from the school.

In a statement, the Joint Action said, "Professor A abused his position as a professor to inflict sexual and emotional violence on students and committed academic corruption," adding, "Professor A lacks the ethical awareness required of an educator, and his words and actions under the guise of education severely damage the dignity and personality of learners."

Over the past month, the Joint Action has publicized the incident through posters and online promotional materials on campus and collected victim testimonies. Based on testimonies from eight undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Fine Arts, they announced cases of sexual violence and human rights violations by Professor A.

According to the Joint Action, Professor A forced students into sexual relations by claiming that success could only be achieved by sleeping with influential people like himself. It was also revealed that Professor A pressured victims silently by opening the calendar app on his phone to set specific dates, saying to a student, "Don't you think you and I will eventually have sex?"

The Joint Action further stated that Professor A frequently talked about sexual acts and his own prostitution in classrooms or private settings, and after the Nth Room case became public, he trivialized the group sexual crime by telling a female student, "If you hadn't been a writer, you could have made a lot of money from the Nth Room."

Moreover, the Joint Action exposed that Professor A openly displayed discrimination against women, regions, appearances, family backgrounds, and mental illnesses in his lectures. They claimed that Professor A repeatedly made degrading remarks such as "I feel like vomiting when I see ugly kids; I can't even look at their faces," and made discriminatory comments like "Do you know that (a student) has depression?"

The Joint Action also explained that the grading process by Professor A was opaque. They alleged, "Professor A gave A+ grades to students he favored even if they did not submit assignments, while frequently giving F grades to students who met the credit requirements."

The Joint Action announced plans to file a criminal complaint against Professor A next month after legal review. Just before the press conference, they urged the school to dismiss Professor A, protect students, conduct a thorough investigation, and establish a code of ethics for professors to prevent further harm.

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