While ‘Me Too’, movement for disclosing sexual assault, continues at POSTECH, students’ groups and civic groups have set out to support these accusations. On March 26, an anonymous posting “I am not a hostess but a colleague” was posted on the POSTECH lounge, an online community. The writer described herself as a professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at POSTECH, and said that she was sexually abused by senior civil servant B, whom professor A introduced her to in 2015.
She complained that she suffered from a sleeping disorder and had stomach problems from the memories she experienced three years ago. While watching the Me Too movement, she mentioned that she contacted professor A to receive an apology from B since last month, but the situation has not been resolved.
“I would like to tell these individuals who make personal gains abusing one’s authority and creating my job insecurity, not to look at me as a sex object, but as a fellow professor”, “I posted this to share my pain because it should not happen again in school.” She said. Subsequently, on March 27, two postings “#With you is not a word a person like you can use” were posted by certain individuals claiming that they were sexually abused by their female seniors and colleagues.
Students groups: The POSTECH Women Council, the General Students’ Association, POSTECH Feminism (POFE), and Modam, the human rights council, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and the Pohang Women Society held a press conference to support the Me Too movement in front of the Hogil Kim Memorial Building on March 29. Various media, such as Newsmin, The Gyeongbuk Domin Ilbo, Pohang MBC, and KBS also took part in the event. Choi Soo-yeon, the chairman of the POSTECH Women Council, emphasized the event for more publicity and support. They demanded countermeasures to prevent the reoccurrence of sexual abuse and any additional reports, while operating an independent and professional human rights center, that can form a systematic organization to raise the status of disadvantaged groups at the university. The university said it will conduct an immediate investigation regarding these issues.
