Naju Citizens' Committee Urges Withdrawal of Recommendation to Dismiss Kentek President and Calls for Normalization

Published 23 Nov.2023 13:18(KST)

A resolution rally by Naju citizens urging the withdrawal of the dismissal recommendation for the president of Korea National University of Energy and Technology (hereinafter KENTECH) and the normalization of the school was held at the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) headquarters on the 22nd.

The Naju Citizens Countermeasure Committee (Chairman Oh Jong-sun) announced on the 23rd that over 400 people, including civic groups and citizens, issued a statement urging the government and KEPCO to withdraw the dismissal recommendation of the inaugural president Yoon Ui-jun and to normalize KENTECH.

A rally urging the withdrawal of the recommendation to dismiss the president of Kentech and the normalization of the school was held at the Korea Electric Power Corporation headquarters on the 22nd.
[Photo by Naju Citizens' Countermeasure Committee]

Oh Jong-sun, chairman of the countermeasure committee, said in the statement, “Despite being a resource-poor country, South Korea has grown into one of the world's top 10 trading nations thanks to the educational zeal of our parents' generation. The government's and ruling party's stance of closing the school due to lack of funds is a blatant act of regional discrimination.”

He added, “We urge the government and ruling party to immediately withdraw the dismissal recommendation of inaugural president Yoon Ui-jun, restore the reduced funding support, stop the audit, and cease destabilizing KENTECH, and to promptly devise measures for the normalization of the university.”

A representative of the countermeasure committee stated, “We understand that agenda coordination for the KENTECH board meeting is currently underway. The main concern of this board meeting is whether the dismissal proposal for President Yoon, recommended by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will be included on the agenda. The citizens of Naju will never stand by and watch this happen,” he pointed out.

Earlier, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy recommended the dismissal of President Yoon at the university board meeting in July, citing improper settlement and execution of business promotion expenses, misuse of funding, and unjust receipt of work allowances during the KENTECH audit.

The citizens' countermeasure committee holds the position that holding the president personally responsible for issues arising from initial system deficiencies at the university's founding, rather than embezzlement or improper execution for personal gain, is an excessive measure that violates the principle of proportionality.