CONFLICT REVOLVING around the labor union of Yonsei University has reached an all-time high with the involvement of several students. The situation mainly stems from the series of demonstrations and campus-wide strikes that occurred during the latter-half of the 2022 spring semester. Unionized laborers consisting of janitors and security guards protested against the school for its poor working conditions. As a result, building facilities were neglected and security posts were deserted in both Sinchon and Songdo campuses. There were also a series of protests in front of the Student Union building, organized by laborers and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). These protests impacted students, as they were caught in the crossfire of the conflict, which resulted in three students pursuing legal action against the protestors. 

The lawsuits

   Last May, students filed civil and criminal lawsuits against Kim Hyun-ok and Park Seung-gil, of the Yonsei University Division of the KCTU Seoul Public Service Union[1]. The plaintiffs claimed that the protests were disruptive enough to be heard from their classrooms, which was a direct violation of their right to study. Additionally, as the rallies were executed without an official permit, it would thus be considered illegal under article 6, paragraph 1 of the national Act on Assembly and Demonstration. As compensation, students requested a total sum of ₩6.386 million—four times the monthly salary of an average janitor at Yonsei. The damage fee was calculated on a pro rata[2] basis of dividing the school’s tuition by the number of days in a semester and multiplying the quotient by the duration of the protest. Other alleged miscellaneous penalties include a fine for impeding their ability to study in the Student Union building, ₩1 million for “psychological trauma,” and ₩71,000 for one of the plaintiff’s psychiatric treatment bill[3]. 

   Details of the lawsuit were made public on the popular social media platform, Everytime. One of the plaintiffs anonymously explained their reasons for filing the lawsuit and concluded with a link to an open chat room for like-minded students, calling themselves the Yonsei Unlawful Protest Committee. The post received polarizing reactions as some students strongly disagreed with the plaintiffs whilst others showed support. To this day, the post remains uploaded on the platform, with the chat room still in operation.

Disgruntled students

   The Yonsei Annals was able to secure an interview with one of the members in the chat room—Student A[4]. Student A often took classes near the scene of the demonstrations, and decided to join the chat after experiencing a series of noise disturbances. When asked about the main reason for their antagonistic attitude towards unionized workers in Yonsei University, the student replied that the labor union should raise their concerns directly to the school administration, and avoid disturbing blameless students. Student A continued to point out that Yonsei has one of the most expensive tuitions in the country, hence they expect an exceptional education—not loud demonstrations and constant campus-wide conflicts. Unable to focus during lectures, the protests gave them a sense of dread every time they visited the campus. They added that it was a shame they felt discomfort towards the school because they had been anticipating offline classes since the pandemic. Despite their animosity, Student A made it clear that they understand the workers’ reasons for protesting. They believed the school was partly to blame for this entire situation, but that the union’s methods were unnecessarily disruptive. They wished that the problem was solved privately and professionally. They concluded that students were often the victims of such protests, and they were relieved that appropriate measures were being taken to hold the laborers accountable.

Labor union

   The unionized workers have made clear their intentions of continuing the campaigns until the school administration takes action. In fact, several of their banners displayed around the Sinchon and Songdo campuses showcase the slogan, “We will see it to the end.” The Annals reached out to KCTU Seoul Public Service Union organizer Son Seung-hwan to further understand their perspective. Son was previously interviewed for last semester’s June Issue Wallposter, where he was asked about the details of the ongoing protests. Since then, he mentioned that there has been a noticeable increase of public interest in their movement, possibly arising from the surge of mainstream media coverage after the lawsuits were filed. 

   Regarding the ongoing legal battle, Son explained his remorse for the litigating students that continued to receive public backlash. He said that the entire situation stems from the inaction of the school, and it is solely the school’s problem to blame and solve. Noise complaints and commotions are to be expected when organizing demonstrations inside a university. Son, on behalf of all the protesting laborers, expressed his regret for disturbing the education of many students. He stated that a student’s first priority is to study, and it is unfortunate that many were inconvenienced due to factors beyond their control. Despite this, he hopes that their efforts were not in vain and that changes will be made eventually. 

   While some students may have conveyed their displeasure towards the labor union, many others have come forward in support. There is a sizable community of pro-union students that defend the laborers online or even participate in demonstrations themselves. When asked about what students can do to support the cause, Son mentioned that Yonsei University is one of the most prestigious institutions in the country with a rich history of social justice. The protesting laborers wish for students to reacquaint themselves with the school’s history and values, and emulate the founding spirit of Yonsei into their daily lives—seeking the truth and fighting for one’s beliefs. According to Son, staying informed on societal matters is the most effective way for students to help resolve the conflict. He concluded the interview by saying that the union hopes students realize that the issue between the school and its laborers is not an isolated problem, but a widespread concern that affects our entire society.

Pro-union students

   Support among students provides hope for the union’s cause as they fight for change. In an interview with the Annals, Emma Erdenekhuu (Soph., Dept. of Civil & Environ. Engin.) offered her opinions on the current situation. Erdenekhuu initially paid no attention to the string of demonstrations. The magnitude of the issue only caught her interest after coming across a post on Everytime and reading news articles that covered the lawsuits. Despite several inconveniences that the protests have caused in her student life, she believes that it is within the laborers’ rights to confront the school administration through on-campus demonstrations. “The laborers, many of whom are advanced in age, work under poor and unfavorable conditions. It is upsetting to witness students targeting them,” she said. She later added that everyone should be treated equally, but a litigation against already low-income individuals goes against this notion. 

   Erdenekhuu believes that, regardless of the students that initially filed the lawsuits, the primary party at fault is Yonsei University. “I've read that the school has rejected the workers' requests for several years and have done next to nothing to improve the situation,” she said before explaining how the entire conflict would not have happened if the school had taken the time to listen in the first place. 

   Kim Jin-ah (Fresh., Dept. of Sociology) has lived in the Songdo International Campus since last semester. She learned about the demonstrations through the various handwritten posters displayed around the campus. Eventually, she described experiencing some discomfort during the second half of the semester. In her own words, she called the dormitories unsanitary and littered with piles of trash. Jin-ah hoped for the union’s problems against the school administration to quickly resolve, as it inconvenienced both students and the laborers. When asked about her sentiments regarding the longstanding conflict, Jin-ah expressed her complete support for the laborers, regardless of the disruptions she experienced as a student. The trash and other frivolous issues were the least of her concerns when compared to her appeasement regarding the student backlash. She could not understand the spiteful responses coming from a large portion of the student body. And she questioned why some would slander the already weak and vulnerable members of society. After learning about the Yonsei student lawsuit against laborers through the news, Jin-ah formed an opinion that the brunt of the fault lies on neither the prosecuting students nor the laborers. She said that the school must accept the legitimate demands of the union, and for the issue to end once and for all, various members of the Yonsei community (including the General Student Council) should join forces and express their support for the laborers. 

Efforts of the Yonsei Press Association (YPA)

   In lieu of rising tension between laborers and the school administration, select members of the YPA[5] proposed a university-wide press conference. The official proposal lists that the purpose of the conference is to invite the labor union, senior members of the school administration, the General Student Council, politicians, and journalists to establish a forum for constructive debate. The proposed conference topics include: the reasons for unionization, justification for the “loud” demonstrations, details of the conflict, student-laborer relations, and solution to reunite the school. All press organizations formed a consensus for the conference in compliance with the YPA bylaws. Afterwards, the YPA began a formal correspondence with the Emergency Exigency Committee, otherwise known as the General Student Council, to plan the logistics of the conference. 

   The Annals was able to secure an interview with the chairwoman of the YPA, Kim Ye-jin (Sr., Dept. of Sociology). When asked about the root purpose of conducting a press conference, Ye-jin responded that there is a lack of opportunity for members of the press, thus the public, to hear about the “labor union-school” conflict in its full extent. Most are only aware of surface-level information, whilst criticism from both parties come and go. Ye-jin hopes that the conference will create a forum for public discussion and lay the foundation for a social consensus. She further explained that student participation is essential for the current situation because cleaners and security guards are also members of Yonsei University. The moment they are viewed as simply “laborers,” a hierarchy forms amidst the school. Ye-jin expressed how there is a need to talk on equal footing as members of the same community, regardless of the polarizing opinions. In her personal opinion, the media is an important tool that conveys the voice of citizens. She hopes that with the help of the YPA, Yonsei University will take responsibility and finally resolve the issue between them and the laborers.

Yonsei University

   Yonsei University has received a barrage of negative coverage by the media with the public criticizing their "inaction." Head of the university's General Affairs Team, Seo Ki-hwan, explained to the Annals that the school has no jurisdiction to dictate students' actions and is not involved with the litigation, but several members of the press have placed the blame onto them, nonetheless. When asked about the repercussions of constant unflattering news coverage, Seo said that the school has had irreparable damages to their image. He furthered that most members of the press have built a narrative of the "rich" and "powerful" Yonsei against its poorly treated laborers, but that is not the case. Yonsei University follows the strict legal requirements of the law in terms of wages and staff facilities. The laborers' salaries have been on a yearly incline and the conditions of their recreational spaces are adequate in comparison to other universities. Additionally, it is difficult to accept the laborers' demands due to the restricted school budget from factors such as the decline of student enrollment in recent years and the pandemic. He added that resolving the conflict is no simple task even if it is taken up to the government, and Yonsei has tried their best to manage the situation. Regarding what the school has done at the moment in response to this issue, he mentioned the several press conferences that Yonsei has agreed to participate. The conflict is complex in nature with the involvement of several parties, but Seo concluded that the school remains proactive in solving the problem. 

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   As of now, the lawsuits remain unresolved. Unionized laborers in Yonsei University continue to fight for improved wages and working conditions. While students remain divided on the matter, advancements are being made with student-led organizations such as the YPA-hosted press conference. The same advancements cannot be said for the school administration that described the issue as a matter between third-party service companies that hire laborers on behalf of Yonsei and the laborers themselves[6]. Furthermore, attempts to contact school officials were unsuccessful. Only time will reveal the final outcome of this deep-rooted conflict. 

[1] Insight

[2] Pro rata: Proportionate    

[3] Kukmin Ilbo

[4] Student A preferred to remain anonymous for the protection of their private information.

[5] YPA: The central body behind all of Yonsei University’s official press organizations (Yonsei Chunchu, The Yonsei Annals, Yonsei Educational Broadcasting Station, Yeon-hee 015B, The Yonsei Editorial Board, Yonsei Internet Radio Broadcast, Yonsei Mu-nu,  and Sang gyong non chong)

[6] The Hankyoreh