National universities` move for direct presidential election system

National universities` move for direct presidential election system. October. 10, 2015 10:45. manman@donga.com.

There have been rising voices advocating for a direct presidential election system among national universities across the country. After Aug. 17 when professor Goh Hyun-chul of Pusan National University committed suicide in support of the preservation of direct election system and democratization of universities, PNU and Korea Maritime and Ocean University chose a direct election system followed by Chungnam National University and Gyeongsang National University.

Gyeongsang National University, a major national university in South Gyeongsang Province, announced on Friday that it decided to restore a direct presidential election system according to the result of a letter vote from all faculty members from Monday through Friday. Among 91.5 percent of those with voting rights (681 out of 744) cast their ballots, 83.9 percent (571) voted for the revival. According to Article 24 of Public Educational Officials Act, members of the university should choose between a "president election committee" and an "agreement among faculty members" for presidential election. But when the Ministry of Education intervened and connected the election system to financial aid, national universities have turned to an indirect election system since 2012.

With the voting result, the faculty council of Gyeongsang National University will summon the committee of professors on next Wednesday to resolve the direct presidential election system regulations and detailed application regulations, which were designed by the Special Committee on President Election. The council will also elect a president though deliberation by the Committee for Educational Affairs, which is the decision maker of the university, and the university senate, which is the legislative organization for all faculty members. The council will select the next president by Nov. 15, 30 days before the end of the current president`s term.

Chungnam National University also saw 76.8 percent of the votes by the faculty in favor of a direct election system. The faculty council said 616 out of 875 (70.4 percent) voted from Tuesday through Friday, and 473 (76.8 percent) voted for direct election system. "We will notify the university of the voting result and carry through direct election system," said a council member. The current president`s term ends Jan. 20 next year, and a successor should be selected by Nov. 20. Kangwon National University will hold a vote on restoring a direct election system to its faculty members for two days from Oct 19.