Seoul National University has decided to interview all female students of a male professor at the department of business administration, who is suspected of sexually harassing several women.
All female students who took the professor’s classes over the past year will be interviewed, according to the school’s human rights center on Monday.
The center said its probe is aimed at finding more victims or securing witness testimony from the students, though the professor has denied the allegations. SNU has canceled his classes and suspended him until its human rights center completes its probe.
“Our policy for the scheduled face-to-face talks with all female students came in consideration of the seriousness of the incident,” said a center spokesman.
The professor is accused of kissing a student’s cheek and another’s hand. He also reportedly wrapped his arm around a third student’s waist.
In addition, there are allegations that he verbally abused female students, asking them their underwear size and about their physical relations with boyfriends.
Though the probe is still underway, the professor was suspended to prevent him from contacting students, said a school spokesman.
The school unveiled a plan in September to draft a Charter of Human Rights, becoming the first university to do so.
The charter involves a code of conduct and guidelines for school personnel and students specifically banning any verbal or physical abuse, including sexual harassment.
By Kim Yon-se (
kys@heraldcorp.com)
