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Far-Right Supporters’ Campus Infringement, The Countermeasure Is No Rally
제 221 호 발행일 : 2025.04.14
A Far-right YouTubers Who Disrupted a Rally Held at the University.
On March 11, a rally organized by the CBNU Students Solidarity, titled as <3.11 CBNU Student Resolution Conference>(impeachment rally), was held in the underground square of Gaesin Cultural Center. At the same time, an anti-impeachment rally was also held on the lawn next to the College of Social Sciences, hosted by “Gaesin-people Who Protect Liberal Democracy.” However, far-right YouTubers who supported the anti-impeachment of the farmer President Yoon rushed into the impeachment rally and thuggishly disturbed it. They took pictures of participating students and uttered loud voices. They even, burnt a banner of CBNU Students Solidarity and broke pickets. Eventually, the CBNU Students Solidarity moved their rally indoors into the Gaesin Cultural Center. Subsequently, the police blocked the entrance to the Gaesin Cultural Center, preventing them from entering of far-right YouTubers.
Lee Ye-Seo (School of Business, 20), who is a member of the CBNU Students Solidarity, said, “When I was commenting, far-right YouTubers started to approach us. During the rally, a participating student fell backward on the stairs, sustaining injuries including a bruised left forehead and a scratched knee. The police classified these as injuries caused by an attack. Later, I watched a live video from the YouTubers, which showed Bella (Ahn Jeong-Gwon) pushing the student’s leg. We are currently pursuing legal action regarding this incident.”
For this, the Office of Student Affairs said, “We allowed the events after confirming that the two rallies were events that only CBNU students could participate in. Farthermore, we asked police for cooperation, in the mass of the crowd who indicated that they would participate at the time of granting permission. We predict the probability of the influx of people from outside beforehand. In the middle of the rally, we asked the police to dispatch extra personnel because of loud singing and violence as outsiders broke into the rally site. As a consequence, 30 to 50 officers were additionally dispatched to control the situation.” They explained “We filed the complaints to hold the outsiders, who disrupted order in campus, responsible for arson, property damage, business obstruction, etc. in conjunction with lawyer’s consultation.”
Meanwhile, there was controversy over the police officer present at the scene, as they did not actively restrain the far-right YouTubers. Additionally, a video from one of the YouTubers surfaced, showing police making remarks that appeared to encourage or sympathize with them.
Lip-deep Follow-up Countermeasures
On March 12, posters were published in campus, entitled ‘The Statement of Graduate Students and Researchers at CBNU who Denounce Violence of the Far-right on Campus’, it was criticizing the fact that the CBNU asked the CBNU Students Solidarity to submit a list of participating students. Regarding this, Office of Student Affairs explained “It was a demand to confirm the number of participating students and to distinguish outsiders.”
However, Choi San (Dept. of Sociology, 22), a member of the CBNU Students Solidarity, stated, “Even though the school requested a list from both sides, merely receiving the list itself feels like an attempt to monitor us closely. Therefore, we chose not to submit it. I wonder if the school’s failure to prepare for outsider intrusion in advance—while citing concerns about their participation—was actually a way to shift the responsibility for rally’s safety onto the students.”
On March 19, President Koh Chang-seop said in a statement that the CBNU would provide support for students who suffered physical, psychological, and mental damage and protection for students who participated in the rally, pointing out damage to thereputation of CBNU and degraded democratic values due to the violent situation. The Office of Student Affairs said, “CBNU considers the safety of students, as a priority, and will provide students, who were injured in the rally, with support through counseling provided by the office for school life. On the other hand, on April 2, Choi stated, “Around 30 affected students are receiving individual mental health counseling with support from professors on campus.” He added, “Before the President Koh posting the statement, We sent twice an official document to the Office of Student Affairs requesting the inclusion of related articles. However, no response was received. I wonder why the Office of Student Affairs did not acknowledge the official document and what kind of protective measures they plan to take.” He also urged “the school to implement appropriate countermeasures.”
Disapproval of the Rally for Safety Concerns
The CBNU Students Solidarity planned to hold the <3.30 Student Resolution Conference for young people> at the underground square of the Gaesin Cultural Center, having received permission beforehand from the Department of Student Affairs. However, on March 27, just three days before the scheduled rally, the Office of Student Affairs notified them, in a face-to-face meeting, that they could no longer use the underground square because of students’ safety. In response, the CBNU Students Solidarity adjusted their plans for using the location. They decided to use the square solely as the rally’s starting point, while the main event would take place on the upper road near the Gaesin Cultural Center.
On March 28, two days before the rally, safety barricades blocking access were installed on the way to the underground square of Gaesin Cultural Center. The CBNU Students Solidarity had not been informed in advance by the Office of Student Affairs about the installation. On April 3, a relevant individual who met with the CBT reporters, stated that, “We installed the barricades at the request of the Office of Student Affairs. Although students may regard this negatively, it was a preventative measure against possible accidents due to the spatial characteristics of the underground square. As there was an incident on March 11, we acted in advance to prevent a similar occurrence. Using the underground square, we were willing to partially open sections of the fence if needed.”
The problem occurred on the day of the rally. Lee, a participant, said, “While preparing for the rally, the CBNU President Koh stated that today’s rally was illegal. He also said, “You need to think carefully” and “I am going to report this.” He even commanded students and staff to take photos of everyone involved in the rally. I was shocked, because this behavior contradicted the president’s prior remarks.”
For that reason, the CBT reporters requested an interview with the president regarding the matter, but he rejected it due to his busy schedule. Meanwhile, students and stakeholders stated that, “We are currently discussing with relevant departments to review the regulations and improve procedures to prevent wrong actions that undermine democratic order like external influence’s illegal intervention and to ensure freedom for rallies. We are committed to reflecting the collective opinion through continued communication with the university community, including students.”
By Ji Jae-lim | jlim0714@chungbuk.ac.kr
By Kim Ye-kyeong | ykk623315@chungbuk.ac.kr
By Lee Seo-young | seoyeongi619@chungbuk.ac.kr