According to a report by Hankyoreh on the 26th, an incident occurred at a university in Seoul where a graduate student was verbally abused by a professor and subsequently took an extreme measure.


Soongsil University Campus <Photo by Asia Economy DB>

Soongsil University Campus

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According to the report, graduate student A (24), who was enrolled in a doctoral program at a university in Seoul, was in charge of leading undergraduate students attending the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas, USA, last January.


During this process, A reportedly blamed himself after hearing verbal abuse from his advisor, Professor B. After returning to Korea, A was diagnosed at a hospital with delusions caused by severe stress. A few days later, he took his own life at home.


The bereaved family reported the incident to the university's Human Rights Committee in February, and the committee began an investigation. During the investigation, A’s older brother, who was shocked by his sibling’s death and tormented by guilt, is also known to have taken an extreme measure.


The university’s Human Rights Committee requested a "severe disciplinary action" from the school’s disciplinary committee, but on the 13th of last month, the faculty disciplinary committee issued a "reprimand," which is a mild disciplinary action, to Professor B. Professor B has filed a lawsuit against the staff of the university’s Counseling and Human Rights Center for obstruction of business, claiming the Human Rights Committee’s investigation was unfair. He is also reported to have recently filed additional complaints and lawsuits with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the police for workplace harassment against these staff members.



※ If you or someone around you is experiencing difficult feelings such as depression or other hard-to-talk-about struggles, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through the Suicide Prevention Hotline ☎1393, Mental Health Counseling ☎1577-0199, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, Youth Hotline ☎1388, the youth mobile counseling app "Da Deureojul Gae," KakaoTalk, and other services.


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

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