President’s impeachment creates uncertainty over HE policies

The formal removal from office of South Korea’s 20th president, Yoon Suk Yeol, on 4 April ends months of political uncertainty, but the requirement for a new presidential election within 60 days has raised questions over the future of the ‘glocal university’ project and the implementation of key policies of the current administration, including deregulation of universities and tuition freezes.

Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal followed his impeachment on charges that included leading an attempted insurrection.

A unanimous ruling of all eight Constitutional Court justices took immediate effect, stripping Yoon of his presidential status.

This follows months of unrest and uncertainty sparked by Yoon’s declaration of martial law on 4 December 2024, which he revoked within hours.

In a cabinet meeting on Tuesday the election was confirmed for 3 June. As a result, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) has postponed the scheduled 2026 university entrance mock exam by one day, moving it from 3 June to 4 June.

Student activists from the University Student Emergency Council for Yoon’s Resignation told University World News on 8 April they felt a sense of relief following the impeachment ruling.

Student groups had vowed to continue protests until Yoon was removed, with many campuses seeing clashes in recent weeks between pro-Yoon and anti-Yoon groups.

Uncertainty over education policies

However, the impeachment also casts uncertainty over several of the Yoon administration’s key policies in education.

A ministry of education official acknowledged the challenges ahead, stating to University World News: “Policy initiatives such as deregulation of universities, tuition reforms, and medical school expansion have been contentious. Even while impeachment proceedings were underway, the intent behind these policies remained, but their momentum has undeniably weakened.”

The Yoon administration maintained a tuition freeze policy for 17 years, strongly pressuring universities to comply. However, with Yoon’s removal from office, growing political uncertainty has raised questions about the government’s ability to enforce this policy.

A professor at a metropolitan university told University World News: “The government had insisted on freezing tuition fees, yet many universities still raised them. Now the impeachment has been upheld, institutions that complied with the freeze may feel less pressure to follow government directives.”

Meanwhile, the conservative People Power Party, Yoon’s party, is reportedly considering introducing a half-price tuition scheme for postgraduate students.

A political insider told University World News: “The party’s interest in the tuition (fee) issue appears to be a strategic move aimed at appealing to younger voters in the early presidential election climate following Yoon’s impeachment.”

The fate of the ‘Glocal University 30’ initiative, has also been called into question. Launched in 2023, it aimed to decentralise higher education and counter population decline by boosting universities in the regions making regional universities a driver of regional economic growth.

A professor from a designated ‘glocal university’ told University World News: “This policy marginalised the public role of universities by making funding contingent on performance metrics. With Yoon’s removal, its continuation now seems unlikely.”

During National Assembly elections last April opposition parties proposed competing plans to replace the ‘glocal’ policy, including upgrading regional universities to become major research universities.

The medical community, which clashed with Yoon’s administration over controversial healthcare reforms, which included increasing the quota of medical school places for the first time in almost 30 years, welcomed the impeachment ruling.

Yoon’s policy on expanding medical school quotas led to more than a year of protests and turmoil in the sector, including class boycotts, resignations by professors, and mass ‘leave of absence’ by students and junior doctors opposing the policy.

The Korean Medical Association in a statement on 4 June expressed the hope that “this impeachment will halt misguided medical policies and allow for a rational reconsideration of healthcare reforms”.

Junior doctors, who were threatened with punitive measures under Yoon’s short-lived martial law decree, also voiced approval of the court’s decision.

The Korean (Medical) Intern and Resident Association stated: “We will never forget the directive that sought to punish us. We wholeheartedly welcome the president’s removal.”

High public interest in court process

Public interest in the court’s ruling has surged, with the official impeachment verdict becoming an instant bestseller on online bookshops such as Aladin and Yes24. Citizens sharing handwritten transcriptions of the ruling was trending on social media under the hashtag ‘Impeachment Verdict Writing Challenge’.

Chung In-seop of Seoul National University’s Law School praised the justices, stating: “This is an impeccable ruling that will serve as a landmark document in constitutional law. Democracy has prevailed.” He noted that the decision should be widely studied as an educational resource.

Education offices in nine regions, including Seoul, reportedly circulated a document to schools in their respective regions for students to be able to view the live broadcast of the court’s ruling for educational purposes.

Seoul Superintendent of Education Jeong Geun-sik said on social media that young people should watch the court ruling and discuss it as an opportunity to “cherish essential constitutional values for a long time”.

However, another eight education offices did not request schools to allow students to watch the 4 April proceedings, with media sources saying the divide ran along party lines for or against Yoon.

A poll conducted 2-4 April by Realmeter, a research and marketing company, found that over three quarters of respondents – 76.9%, accepted the court’s decision, while 17.4% opposed it.

The public opinion survey also indicated strong public demand – a quarter of respondents – for national reconciliation and a similar proportion in favour of political reform in the wake of the impeachment.

After the removal decision, Lee Woon-ho, a student at Sogang University, told University World News: “It feels like I can finally breathe. This gives us the courage to work together for a safer and more stable society. I wasn’t particularly interested in politics before, but this experience has made me realise the importance of civic engagement.”

Hwang Seo-yeon, a student from Yonsei University stressed that accountability must not end with impeachment.

“The (impeachment) ruling has been upheld, but justice has not yet been fully served. Those responsible for imposing an unjustified state of emergency, disrupting society, and threatening democracy must be held to account,” stated Hwang.