Student council elections at some universities have been marred by low participation, indifference and even claims of irregularities.
Experts voice concerns about a decline in democratic participation and weakening commitment to public interest activities among students, who have grown up witnessing corruption in politics and are increasingly concerned about their employment prospects.
In the most recent case, the election management committee at Duksung Women’s University in Seoul on Wednesday criticized the school authorities for interfering in their student presidential election.
In a news conference, they claimed that school officials provided particular candidates with students’ private information, supposedly to help their campaign.
The students said they would investigate the school’s alleged meddling and take appropriate action.
“The students’ election, which should be the most democratic and fair, was tarnished by the school headquarters and became uglier than the political establishment,” the student panel said.
A legal fight erupted last week between two candidates at Kookmin University in Seoul.
One team filed for a court injunction Friday requesting the court suspend the election, taking issue with its opponent’s eligibility.
The plaintiffs insisted that two members of a rival camp had retained their posts on the election committee until after the campaign period began, in violation of election rules.
They took the dispute to the court after the committee ignored their complaint and went ahead with the election. A two-day ballot began Tuesday.
A number of schools are struggling with widespread student apathy in elections, which sometimes forced delays and cancelations of voting.
One recent example is Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, where the election was canceled on Nov. 13 because no one registered as a candidate. The student council decided to set up a stop-gap leadership committee to operate from January, when the incumbents’ term expires, until April when a new election will be held.
Korea National University of Transportation in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, also called off its election scheduled for Nov. 28 after no candidates emerged.
Last year, the school held an election with a single candidate. But the result was canceled as the turnout fell short of a 33 percent requirement.
Korea National University of Education in Cheongwon in the same province has not been able to conduct an election since 2011 due to lack of candidates.
Top-rated universities such as Seoul National University are no exception. Voting participation at the nation’s most prestigious school has been lower than the minimum of 50 percent since 2003, and compelled organizers to either extend the voting period or hold new elections.
The low interest in school politics is attributable to fierce competition among students for better grades in the face of increasingly tight job market.
“Most students are preoccupied with jobs and busy with their studies and internships. They don’t have enough time to care about school events,” said Mha Jung-mee, an associate professor in the Department of Politics, Communication and International Studies at Hannam University in Daejeon.
“School election is part of direct democracy. Though it is a student body’s event, it is also suffrage that they need to exercise as citizens. Students should not neglect this value.”
By Lee Hyun-jeong (
rene@heraldcorp.com)
