25 Days of Silence: How Government Inaction Perpetuates Sexual Violence in Korean Higher Education

Disturbing Pattern of Regulatory Failure Continues as Officials Ignore Evidence of Alleged Partnership Fraud at Dongguk University

May 10, 2025

Twenty-five days of complete silence. That's how long South Korean government agencies have gone without action since receiving official evidence that Dongguk University appears to be falsely claiming international partnerships – potentially to secure public funding.

On April 10, 2025, our advocacy group sent crucial documentation to seven different government oversight bodies, including:

• Ministry of Education (@moefkorea_eng)
• National Research Foundation (@nrf_sns)
• Korean Council for University Education (@kcleanedu)

The evidence included an official denial email from a Canadian university confirming they have no partnership with Dongguk University, despite being listed as a partner on Dongguk's website. This evidence directly contradicts Dongguk's claims of maintaining 381 international university partnerships – a metric that directly influences government funding allocations.

False Partnerships: Beyond Academic Dishonesty to Potential Public Funds Fraud

This is not merely an issue of academic integrity. Korean universities receive substantial government funding based partly on their international partnerships and global standing. When a university appears to misrepresent these relationships, it raises serious questions about whether taxpayer money has been fraudulently obtained.

Our X/Twitter post highlighting this concern has already gained significant traction among Korean citizens:

동국대학교의 허위 파트너십 주장: 단순한 평판 문제를 넘어 납세자 사기?

스레드: 동국대학교의 거짓 국제 파트너십 주장에 관한 우려되는 질문

1/4 이는 단순히 학생들을 오도하는 것 이상입니다. 한국 대학들은 국제 파트너십과 글로벌 입지를 부분적으로 기반으로 상당한 정부 자금을 받습니다.

2/4 동국대가 공식적으로 관계를 부인한 기관들을 "파트너"로 나열할 때, 이는 허위 주장을 통해 정부 보조금을 받았는지에 대한 심각한 의문을 제기합니다.

3/4 한국 납세자들은 알 권리가 있습니다: 동국대학교가 국제 파트너십을 허위로 표현하여 정부 자금을 확보해 왔는가? 한 캐나다 대학이 파트너십을 부인한 반면, 여러 미국 대학들은 타이틀 IX 우려로 인해 현재 관계를 재평가하고 있습니다.

4/4 교육부와 한국연구재단이 동국대의 명백히 거짓된 파트너십 주장에 기반하여 납세자 돈이 할당되었는지 조사할 것을 촉구합니다. 추가 증거: https://x.com/Gender_Watchdog/status/1918075028106867030

#동국대학교 #학술사기 #고등교육 #교육부 #국가연구재단 #납세자사기 #국제파트너십

This post has garnered 455 views and multiple reposts, demonstrating public interest in financial accountability.

The Deafening Sound of Government Silence

Yet, despite this clear evidence and growing public concern, all seven government agencies have maintained complete silence for 25 days and counting. Our follow-up post directly challenging their inaction has reached 207 views:

@moefkorea_eng @our_moe @nrf_sns @kcleanedu

25일이 지났는데도 왜 아무런 조치가 없습니까? 4월 10일, 동국대학교가 허위로 파트너십을 주장하는 캐나다 대학의 공식 부인 이메일을 교육부, 한국연구재단, 한국대학교육협의회 등 7개 정부 기관에 전달했습니다.

동국대는 존재하지 않는 해외 파트너십을 계속 주장하며 웹사이트를 수정하지 않고 있습니다. 이는 정부 지원금 및 재정 배분에 직접적인 영향을 미치는 허위 정보입니다.

정부 감독 기관들은 언제 조사를 시작할 예정입니까?

This pattern of government inaction speaks to a broader systemic failure – one that has dire consequences for student safety, institutional accountability, and Korea's international standing.

Beyond Finances: The Hidden Cost of Inaction for Sexual Violence Victims

The government's apparent reluctance to investigate financial impropriety at Dongguk University has far deeper implications than just misused taxpayer funds. It enables and perpetuates the university's structural failures in addressing sexual violence.

Consider these sobering statistics from the Korean Women's Development Institute:

• 61.5% of female arts students experience sexual violence
• Film departments have the highest risk score (81/100) among all arts programs
• 60% of campus sexual violence is perpetrated by professors across all disciplines

When government oversight bodies fail to act on clear evidence of institutional dishonesty, they implicitly reinforce a system that allows more severe violations – like sexual violence – to continue unchecked.

A Pattern of Dual Neglect: Financial Oversight and Sexual Violence Prevention

This governmental neglect follows the same disturbing pattern we've identified at Dongguk University itself: a "dual-face" approach where different messages are presented to different audiences.

Just as Dongguk maintains two separate email systems (institutional addresses visible to international partners but non-functional, while private Gmail/Naver accounts are used domestically), Korean government agencies similarly present a public face of accountability while their actions – or lack thereof – tell a different story.

The Ministry of Education publicly promotes student safety and financial integrity, yet when presented with concrete evidence of potential wrongdoing, they appear to choose institutional protection over accountability.

Structural Barriers Maintained by Government Inaction

The government's silence on these financial allegations directly reinforces several structural barriers to addressing sexual violence:

1. Signaling that reputation trumps accountability: By failing to investigate even financial allegations (which should be less politically sensitive than sexual violence), government agencies signal that institutional reputation matters more than student safety or financial integrity.
2. Enabling information control: When official channels prove ineffective, advocacy groups are forced to use social media and alternative means to drive accountability – platforms where they face systematic content moderation and censorship.
3. Undermining potential whistleblowers: Seeing government inaction despite compelling evidence discourages other potential whistleblowers from coming forward about more sensitive issues like sexual violence.
4. Creating a continuum of impunity: The same institutional failures that allow financial misrepresentation – lack of oversight, internal controls, and transparency – enable more serious misconduct like sexual violence to flourish.

The Interconnected Nature of Institutional Failures

This connection between financial impropriety and sexual violence is not coincidental. Both thrive in environments with:

• Weak oversight mechanisms
• Lack of transparency
• Power imbalances
• Culture of silence
• Institutional reputation prioritized over individual safety

When government agencies fail to act on the more easily provable financial allegations, they inadvertently strengthen the conditions that enable sexual violence.

Implications for Korea's International Standing

The government's continued inaction threatens Korea's broader goals for international education. As noted in our press outreach, the Korean government has set an ambitious goal to attract 300,000 foreign students by 2027.

This goal faces an existential threat as the integrity of Korean universities comes under international scrutiny. Already, we're seeing the beginning of what could become a cascade effect:

• Multiple U.S. universities are reviewing their partnerships with Dongguk, citing Title IX compliance concerns
• A Canadian university has already publicly denied any partnership
• A global university ranking organization has escalated these concerns to senior management

For a country investing heavily in becoming an educational hub and cultural exporter, the economic impact of government inaction could be devastating. The Korean Wave (Hallyu) that has propelled Korean cultural content globally depends on maintaining international trust and ethical standards.

The Dark Side of the Korean Wave: When Government Oversight Fails

Dongguk University's film school is considered the top program in Korea and directly feeds talent into the entertainment industry. As Netflix invests $2.5 billion in Korean content over four years, the lack of government accountability regarding sexual violence in film education has troubling implications for the industry as a whole.

Research by the Deun Deun Center for Gender Equality in Korean Film has documented rampant sexual violence in the industry, creating a continuum of abuse from education into professional settings. Government inaction regarding university accountability directly undermines efforts to create ethical standards throughout the entertainment ecosystem.

A Timeline of Expanding Institutional Failure

The current 25 days of government silence extends a much longer timeline of institutional failure:

• 2008: Shingate Scandal reveals Dongguk's pattern of institutional misrepresentation
• Nov 2015: Professor sexually assaults graduate student during drinking event
• Feb 2016: University notified by prosecutors but takes NO action for 6 months
• Aug 2016: Token "professor replacement policy" implemented 9 months after assault
• 2018: Women's Student Council abolished during height of Korea's MeToo movement
• 2020: KWDI research confirms arts programs as highest-risk environments for sexual violence
• Mar 2025: Initial outreach to Dongguk met with complete institutional silence
• Apr 2025: Dismissive response: "For what purpose did you send the email?"
• Apr 2025: Multiple university partners begin reviewing relationships
• Apr 10, 2025: Evidence of partnership misrepresentation sent to seven government agencies
• May 4, 2025: Public posts highlighting 25 days of government inaction
• May 2025: Documentation of targeted content removal across multiple platforms

Each day of continued government silence extends this timeline of institutional failure and puts more students at risk.

Paradoxical Research Findings: Higher Education Increases Risk for Women in Korea

Recent academic research published in PubMed has revealed the paradoxical finding that higher education levels make women MORE likely to experience sexual violence in Korea - not less. This counters traditional assumptions about education as a protective factor and highlights the unique dangers in Korean academic settings.

Government inaction directly contributes to this paradox by failing to create accountability mechanisms that would make higher education safer for women.

The Path Forward: Breaking the Cycle of Government Inaction

As we continue to document this ongoing pattern of institutional failure and government inaction, we call for:

1. Immediate investigation: The Ministry of Education, National Research Foundation, and Korean Council for University Education must immediately launch formal investigations into Dongguk University's partnership claims and funding allocations.
2. Transparent reporting: Results of these investigations should be made public, with clear consequences for any confirmed misrepresentation.
3. Systemic reform: Beyond this individual case, broader reform of university oversight mechanisms is needed, particularly regarding issues of sexual violence in high-risk programs like film and arts education.
4. International standards: Korean government agencies should align their oversight practices with international standards for both financial accountability and sexual violence prevention.
5. Whistleblower protection: Stronger legal protections for those who expose institutional misconduct are essential for creating cultural change.

Conclusion: The True Cost of 25 Days of Silence

Every day of government inaction has real consequences. While officials remain silent, Dongguk University continues to operate without accountability, potentially:

• Maintaining false partnership claims on their website
• Receiving public funding based partly on these claims
• Preserving structural conditions that enable sexual violence
• Sending graduates into Korea's entertainment industry from a program with serious ethical concerns

The 25 days of silence we've documented represent not just a failure of regulatory oversight but a moral failure with implications for student safety, taxpayer accountability, and Korea's international standing.

We will continue to document this ongoing situation and advocate for the systemic changes needed to address both financial accountability and sexual violence prevention in Korean higher education. The interconnected nature of these issues requires comprehensive reform, beginning with government agencies fulfilling their basic oversight responsibilities.

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About the Author

This blog is maintained by the Gender Watchdog Research Collective, an advocacy group focused on addressing structural factors that enable sexual violence in educational and professional settings.

Resources

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