"Removing Lacquer and Preparing for the Next 100 Years"... Dongduk Women's University Officially Announces Transition to Coeducation (Comprehensive)

Dongduk Women's University Centennial Hall.

"Over the past 115 years, we have achieved significant progress in the development of women's education and the expansion of women's participation in society, despite the barren environment. Now, it is time to carry forward this founding spirit in a progressive manner and prepare for a new century that aligns with the changes of our era."

This is an excerpt from a statement by President Kim Myungae of Dongduk Women's University, officially announcing the transition to a coeducational institution starting in 2029. On December 3, President Kim issued a statement regarding the recommendations of the Coeducation Transition Public Discussion Committee, saying, "We plan to implement the transition to coeducation in 2029, when the current students will have graduated." This official decision comes a year after strong opposition, sit-ins, and the "lacquer protest" by current students and alumni, even before the coeducation transition was discussed last year.

Dongduk Women's University Campus View

"115 Years of Achievements in Women's Education... Time to Prepare for the Next 100 Years in Tune with the Times"

The previous day, the Public Discussion Committee recommended the transition to coeducation, stating, "In deliberative body discussions, town hall meetings, and online surveys, the opinions in favor of coeducation outweighed those supporting the maintenance of a women's university." Within the 48-member deliberative body, which included students, professors, staff, and alumni, 75.8% supported coeducation, while 12.5% favored maintaining a women's university. In a town hall meeting with 406 participants, 57.1% supported coeducation and 25.2% supported maintaining a women's university. In two rounds of online surveys conducted among a total of 755 university members, support for coeducation was also around 50% or higher. The committee emphasized, "This recommendation is not merely a call for a choice, but should serve as a starting point for innovation and change to ensure the university's existence and the next 100 years of its future," urging the university to "seriously accept the contents of this recommendation." This perspective is also reflected in President Kim's statement, which calls for honoring the 115-year history while preparing for the next century.

During the public discussion process, Dongduk Women's University acknowledged that there are still concerns and opposition among current students. The university announced plans to implement phased improvements, including: maximizing the academic environment as a women's university as expected at the time of admission; strengthening university competitiveness; improving campus facilities; and creating a safer campus environment. The university also plans to explain the innovation measures for university operations and specific development plans raised by the committee to all members in December.

Graduates are moving at the degree conferment ceremony held at Dongduk Women's University in Seoul. February 21, 2025 Photo by Yonhap News

Unavoidable Opposition from the Student Council... Attention on Potential Spread to Other Women's Universities

However, students are protesting, arguing that the opinions of students, who make up the largest proportion of the university community, were not sufficiently reflected in this decision. The student council began a general student vote on the transition to coeducation starting today. On the same day, the university also held a presentation on the results of the "2025 Dongduk Women's University Coeducation Transition Analysis and Opinion Collection Research Project," conducted by the Korea Productivity Center since June. On December 4, an event to remove lacquer, involving students, professors, and staff, is scheduled. The university has also restricted access to the main building by deploying a private security company since November 26.

As Dongduk Women's University officially moves toward coeducation, attention is focused on whether this will spark opposition within the university and have a ripple effect on other women's universities. Last year, during the sit-in at Dongduk Women's University, members of Sungshin Women's University also protested, demanding that the university officially oppose the transition to coeducation. Sungshin Women's University attempted to change its name to "Sungshin University" in 2010 but faced student opposition, and in 2018, a proposal to transition to coeducation and change the name again was rejected in a vote, halting further discussion. Gwangju Women's University, the only four-year women's university outside the Seoul metropolitan area, also faced strong student opposition when some departments admitted male students. The university responded by stating, "Admission of male students is limited to foreigners and adult learners," and clarified, "This is to overcome the financial crisis caused by a declining school-age population, not to transition to coeducation."

Currently, there are seven four-year women's universities remaining nationwide: Ewha, Sookmyung, Sungshin, Dongduk, Duksung, Seoul, and Gwangju Women's Universities. Sangmyung Women's University changed its name to "Sangmyung University" and became coeducational in 1996, while Busan Women's University transitioned to coeducation and changed its name to "Silla University" in 1997.

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