As court decision nears, campuses become battlegrounds

As the crisis surrounding the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol intensifies in advance of a Constitutional Court decision on the impeachment, university campuses are emerging as new political battlegrounds as the nation remains deeply divided for and against Yoon, with widespread protests breaking out across the country.

What began as student-led protests within campuses has gradually escalated into large-scale demonstrations, drawing outside groups onto campuses, which has raised concerns about academic freedom and campus security.

The campus unrest was initially triggered on 3 December 2024, when Yoon unexpectedly declared martial law. Although the martial law decree was revoked within just three hours, it plunged the nation into a constitutional crisis.

In response, the National Assembly impeached the president on 14 December, making him the third president in South Korean history to be suspended from office following an impeachment motion.

On 25 February, South Korea's Constitutional Court heard the last of the oral arguments in Yoon’s ongoing impeachment trial. Its decision on whether he will be reinstated or removed from office is expected mid-March.

If the impeachment is upheld by the court, a new election must be held within 60 days.

Seoul National University (SNU) has seen some of the most intense clashes between pro- and anti-impeachment factions.

On 15 and 17 February, large-scale confrontations erupted at the Acropolis Plaza within SNU. On 15 February, approximately 70 students and alumni gathered near the student union building to hold a pro-impeachment rally calling for Yoon’s resignation.

Simultaneously, far-right protesters and some alumni staged a counter-rally opposing impeachment. Heated verbal exchanges quickly escalated into physical altercations, according to students. Pro-impeachment students chanted slogans such as “Yoon Suk-yeol, chief traitor, step down immediately” and “Protect democracy.”

Yoon’s supporters have argued the martial law declaration had been a “necessary measure to prevent legislative dictatorship.”

Kim Ho-gyeol, a third-year student in the Liberal Studies Department at SNU, one of the initiators of the ‘SNU Joint Action to Condemn Coup-Supporting Forces Against Yoon’s Resignation’, told University World News: “Far-right groups are attempting to exploit the university’s holiday period to create the false impression that students oppose the impeachment. However, over 2,500 SNU students have already expressed support for Yoon’s resignation.”

Tensions escalated when demonstrators from both sides attempted to breach police and university security barricades. Some grabbed each other by the collar, spat at one another, and engaged in scuffles.

Campus tensions spread

Campus turmoil was seen at other major universities. A similar incident took place at Yonsei University, Seoul, on 10 February.

In December 2024, Yonsei’s student assembly passed a resolution demanding Yoon’s resignation, with 2,704 out of 2,733 participants voting in favour. Only eight opposed, while 21 abstained.

A standoff occurred at another prestigious university in Seoul, Korea University, on 21 February, where counter-protestors relocated their demonstration to the university’s main entrance after pro-impeachment students occupied the original protest area where they originally planned to rally.

Clashes were also reported at Ewha Womans University on 26 February and at Sogang University, Ewha Womans University, Hanyang University, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies on 27 February. Student declarations opposing Yoon’s impeachment were released at regional campuses on 3 March, including Jeonbuk National University, Chungnam National University, and Chungbuk National University.

A particularly violent episode took place at Ewha Womans University on 26 February, where far-right activists, some of them with a huge following of tens of thousands on YouTube, ignored the ‘No Entry for Outsiders’ warnings and stormed the campus.

They filmed students without their consent while participating in a pro-impeachment rally, damaged protest signs, and engaged in physical altercations. Several students reported head and arm injuries.

A third-year engineering student at Ewha, identifying herself as Yoon, told University World News on 28 February: “I was assaulted for trying to stop them [from] filming illegally. When I resisted, they insulted me as a feminist and spat on the ground.”

Ewha students held an emergency press conference at the university’s main gate on 28 February, documenting instances of abuse and violence by the far-right protestors who stormed the campus two days prior. Cases included slapping students while shouting: “Are you a communist?” as well as destroying placards and making sexist remarks such as “Lose some weight” and “Do you love me?”

External anti-impeachment group

The anti-impeachment movement was organised by so-called ‘Liberty University,’ a group formed by Kim Jun-hee, a Hanyang University student, on 16 February. Student representatives from various universities recruited participants through the popular Everytime online student community platform, which has almost six million student users, and coordinates activities via ‘Liberty University’ group chats.

Some universities have reportedly seen more than 100 students join the anti-impeachment movement, according to local media.

Kim stated in an online post: “Participation was low at the beginning of the month, but numbers have surged since news of the impeachment declarations at Yonsei and Seoul National University spread last week.”

Universities’ reaction

The involvement of external groups on campuses, often egged on by conservative lawmakers who support Yoon, is controversial. With tensions escalating, universities are considering new measures to address the unrest.

Following the 18 February clashes at SNU, the university’s vice-president for education, Lee Jun-jeong sent an email to SNU faculty and students stating: “We will strictly enforce relevant laws and university regulations to deal with cases where external individuals enter campus to threaten safety and disrupt academic activities.”

This week SNU announced plans that would require students organising rallies to submit reports detailing the number of attendees, including any external participants, the protest location, objectives, and intended use of loudspeakers. The finalised measures will be determined after review by the student council.

Previously, campus protests were not subject to formal university restrictions. However, university authorities say new policies are needed to curb the surge in confrontations and noise disturbance.

The presence of outsiders has also cast doubt on whether the demonstrations genuinely represent the views of university students, given a significant presence of far-right middle-aged protestors and ‘YouTubers’.

Compared to the overwhelmingly pro-impeachment stance expressed in student assemblies following the 3 December martial law declaration, the number of students opposing Yoon’s impeachment remains marginal.

For instance, of attendees at an anti-impeachment rally held at Korea University, only 40 were students. Similarly, on 21 February, only around ten Korea University students attended the press conference for the anti-impeachment declaration.

This is in stark contrast to 2,145 students at a student assembly on 6 December that passed a resolution opposing Yoon’s unconstitutional martial law declaration and pledging to protect democracy “against all forms of injustice”.