Daegu Professor Tells Student, "You Are a Gungnyeo, I Am the Emperor... Serve Me"

Dismissed Professor's Appeal Lawsuit... Appeal Trial Underway

A professor at a university in Daegu has sparked controversy after it was revealed that he sent sexually harassing text messages to an international student whose thesis he was reviewing. The professor was eventually dismissed.

According to Yonhap News on the 19th, Professor A, who served as a thesis review committee member in 2021, was found to have sent multiple sexually harassing text messages to international student B, who had submitted a doctoral dissertation.

Professor A referred to himself as the "Hwangje" (Emperor) and B as the "gungnyeo" (court lady), sending messages such as "Serve me," "I want to see the smart and pretty gungnyeo," "We can meet under the moonlight on a dark night," and "Go to sleep after receiving a kiss."

It has recently come to light that a professor at a university in Daegu sent sexually harassing messages to an international student whose thesis he was reviewing, sparking controversy.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

B, who has a minor child in China, continuously avoided Professor A. In response, Professor A sent threatening messages saying, "I feel bad because I cannot receive your service. Now I will only make the final decision in the review. For the gungnyeo's seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment)."

After B reported the harassment to the university's Human Rights Center, the school launched an investigation. During the investigation, it was revealed that in addition to sexual harassment, Professor A forced B to send greeting messages and made B pay approximately 290,000 KRW for meals during two dinners with students.

Following the university disciplinary committee's decision, Professor A was stripped of his thesis review committee membership and dismissed from his professorship in October of the same year. B received the doctoral degree that year and returned to their home country.

The dismissed Professor A filed a lawsuit at the Daegu District Court to nullify the dismissal after going through the Ministry of Education's appeal committee but lost the first trial in December last year.

The first trial court explained, "Considering the content of Professor A's remarks during the doctoral thesis review process and B's report submitted to the university's Human Rights Center, it appears that B felt sexual humiliation or disgust," adding, "It is reasonable to view this as sexual harassment against B."

Professor A is reportedly currently undergoing an appeal trial.

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