Changwon National University Professors Vote Majority in Favor of No-Confidence Motion Against President ... University Says "Rejected for Not Reaching Two-Thirds"

It has been revealed that more than half of the professors who participated in the vote organized by the Faculty Association of Changwon National University supported the motion of no confidence against President Park Minwon.

The Faculty Association of Changwon National University announced that, after closing the vote at 6 p.m. on June 23, which began on June 22, 341 out of 385 eligible voters participated. Of those, 231 voted in favor and 110 opposed the motion.

The voter turnout was 88.57%. Among those who voted, 67.74% were in favor, and based on the total number of eligible voters, the approval rate was 60%.

The electorate consisted of 385 full-time professors, excluding the president. This included those on sabbatical, dispatch, business trips, and leaves of absence. The vote was conducted as a secret online ballot using mobile phones and personal computers.

Office of the President, Changwon National University.
Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

Previously, the Faculty Association had been at odds with President Park over several issues, including the push to transition to a science and technology institute and to corporatize the university headquarters, the exercise of personnel authority such as refusing to appoint an honorary professor and the dean of the College of Social Sciences, and concerns about the allocation of new faculty members being concentrated in certain areas.

At an extraordinary general meeting of the faculty held on June 17, the agenda to conduct a no-confidence vote against President Park was proposed.

Of the 357 faculty members at Changwon campus, 222 attended the meeting in person, and of the 153 who voted on-site, 133 supported the motion, which led to the decision to proceed with the no-confidence vote.

However, even if the no-confidence vote passes, it is not legally binding because the appointment of presidents at national universities is determined by the Minister of Education's recommendation and the President's official appointment.

The faculty association of Changwon National University is holding a sign protest at the entrance of the First Student Hall (Bonglim Hall).
Photo by Seryoung Lee

Regarding the results, the Faculty Association stated, "With this vote, President Park has lost the democratic legitimacy granted by the last presidential election," adding, "Politically, he has lost his position as president."

They further emphasized, "As the no-confidence vote demonstrates, the president’s undemocratic, arbitrary, and dogmatic management style and attempts to dismantle Changwon National University as a comprehensive national university have become intolerable for the university community. This is why the professors have taken the lead in strongly demanding his dismissal."

They also noted, "The president continues to stick to his position," stressing, "What is needed now is for the president to make an effort to understand and empathize with the professors."

The Faculty Association and the university administration remain divided over whether the motion has passed or failed.

Lee Janghee, head of the Faculty Association, stated, "Since there is no explicit quorum requirement for this no-confidence vote, we have applied the general majority rule of 'a majority of eligible voters must participate, and a majority of those who vote must approve,'" and judged the motion to have passed.

However, the university administration contends that since only 60% of all professors supported the motion, it did not reach the two-thirds (66.67%) threshold required, and thus the motion has failed.

They also pointed out that the vote was conducted despite the fact that Article 15 of the Faculty Association's regulations does not explicitly stipulate provisions for a no-confidence vote, and therefore, the association lacks the authority to determine whether the motion has passed or failed. It is generally accepted that major decisions like a no-confidence motion require the approval of at least two-thirds of all eligible members.

Additionally, the university administration mentioned that there were numerous controversies during the process, such as whether the authority to initiate a no-confidence vote exists, the legality of the online voting procedure, and issues related to the provision of personal information.

The university administration stated, "Given that the approval rate did not reach 66.67%, it is appropriate to view this result as a rejection of the no-confidence motion. Members of the university community are also saying that this outcome should serve as an opportunity for constructive discussion on university development and future strategies, rather than further conflict and division." They added, "We will continue to communicate with members for the stable management and future development of the university."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.