Title IX Risk Advisory — Structural Sexual Violence Exposure at Dongguk University (Seoul)

30 Jan, 2025

Dear Office of Title IX Compliance / Office of Global Programs,

We wish to submit a risk advisory concerning Dongguk University's graduate film program in Seoul, South Korea — a program currently listed as a partner institution by several U.S. universities.

There is substantial reason to believe that the program exposes female graduate students to persistent, structurally embedded risks of sexual violence, operating within a male-dominated institutional culture that lacks independent reporting systems, protective oversight, or gender balance in faculty representation.

Such environments not only enable sexual violence, but compound the psychological harm by systematically denying women safe pathways for disclosure or protection. The absence of transparent support structures magnifies the trauma experienced by victims — creating what experts in trauma psychology identify as institutional betrayal trauma, where the organization's failure to protect becomes a second layer of profound harm.

Institutional Risk Factors at Dongguk University:

No visible, independent reporting system for sexual violence and sexual assault
Zero full-time female faculty in the graduate film program
Abolition of the Women's Student Council during the height of Korea's MeToo movement (2018)
Shared campus space with commercial film entities (e.g., Sidus FNH), blurring lines between academic authority and industry power dynamics, creating additional sexual violence risks
Documented pattern of institutional negligence in responding to sexual assault cases:
- Took no action for 6 months after being notified in February 2016 about a professor's sexual assault of a student
- Only implemented a token "professor replacement policy" in August 2016, 9 months after the assault occurred in November 2015.
- Failed to take disciplinary action against the professor until formal prosecution occurred in September 2016
History of prioritizing institutional reputation over student safety through delayed responses and minimal interventions
Fundamentally flawed reporting mechanisms:
- In the 2015 sexual assault case, the victim reported to police rather than university channels, revealing a profound lack of trust in institutional protections
- The three-month gap between the November 2015 assault and February 2016 university notification demonstrates how institutional barriers prevent timely reporting and intervention
- Korea's strict hierarchical academic culture creates overwhelming pressure for students to remain silent about faculty sexual violence

These structural barriers to reporting mirror findings from the KWDI's research, which identifies how Korea's Confucian academic tradition creates multiple layers of silencing:

Power asymmetry between professors and students is extreme, with professors controlling not only academic outcomes but future career prospects
Cultural emphasis on "saving face" prioritizes institutional reputation over victim protection
Victims face severe social stigmatization and potential academic retaliation if they report through internal channels
The absence of female faculty or student advocacy groups removes crucial support systems that might otherwise facilitate safe reporting

These factors combine to create a statistically high-risk environment for sexual violence, particularly in a country where — according to a 2021 study by the Korean Women's Development Institute (KWDI) — arts graduate programs are among the highest-risk environments for sexual violence and sexual abuse by faculty.

Confirmed Cases of Institutional Misrepresentation

Despite these red flags, Dongguk continues to publicly list a wide range of U.S., Canadian, and European universities as partners on its official website:

👉 Dongguk University Partner Institutions

📎 Archived April 8, 2025: Web Archive Link

We have contacted several of these institutions directly. Two examples are especially troubling:

🇨🇦 Canada:

"We do not have a student exchange agreement with Dongguk University. As a result, please DO NOT include our institution in the article and when you communicate with any journalists or media."

🇺🇸 United States:

"Greetings, Thank you for making us aware of this situation. We are undergoing a review of all of our exchange partners and will take this into consideration and will reach out to our partners at Dongguk accordingly. Please do not quote me in any articles or further emails. Thank you. Best,"

📸 Screenshots of email responses: Email Screenshots

These responses confirm that some schools currently listed by Dongguk have no active relationship with the university. This suggests possible false advertising of partnerships, which may distort public rankings and mislead international applicants, potentially exposing them to sexual violence risks without adequate institutional protections.

📊 Response from a Global University Rankings Organization:

"Hello, Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We've forwarded this to our management for their attention. Kind regards,"

This shows that international institutions are taking the matter seriously and are reviewing Dongguk's credibility and safety record regarding sexual violence prevention.

Recommendation:

We respectfully recommend that your office:

Review Dongguk University's standing as a current or prospective exchange partner
Contact their global programs office to formally request documentation of sexual violence prevention protocols and response mechanisms for sexual assault cases
Suspend exchange programs until a full Title IX compliance assessment is completed and independent protections for students against sexual violence and sexual abuse can be verified

Supporting Documentation:

Additional supporting PDFs (e.g., faculty page archive, KWDI report on sexual violence, full Title IX memo) are available upon request in secured formats.

Sincerely,

Gender Watchdog
✉ genderwatchdog@proton.me

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