For the Second Time Ever, the President of the Student Council Resigned in Disgrace

Lee Chang-Jun (Dept. of Geological Sciences, 22), who led P:New, the 56th General Students’ Association (GSA) of Pusan National University (PNU), has been dismissed. Lee was deprived of his membership and was given a higher level of disciplinary action. It seems that Lee Chang-Jun, president of the GSA, lost trust in the student community due to controversies such as club visits, suppression of the press in the university, and complaints about a handwritten poster. It is the first time in six years that the president of the GSA was forcibly dismissed from the PNU since the “We-ing Wing” of the GSA in 2018.

According to a notice posted on the GSA’s social media on the 8th of November,, the PNU Central Operations Committee (COC) decided on the 5th to “remove from membership” and dismiss Lee Chang-Jun as GSA president. The ECOC held a disciplinary committee on the “disciplinary proposal for the GSA president,” proposed by PNU students at a regular meeting on the same day. The proposal included various controversies surrounding Lee, the GSA president.

As a result of the disciplinary committee, Lee was given the highest level of disciplinary action. According to the announcement, disciplinary action, a level 6 sanction (elimination as a member) was issued for the “club-related controversy,” and a level 5 sanction (elimination as a representative) for the “university press suppression controversy.” Following provisions for the status guarantee, Lee lost both his membership and his position as the GSA president. No separate punishment has been taken for complaints against student members because it is no longer meaningful to discipline those who are not student members.

The movement to dismiss Lee began as controversy spread within the PNU online anonymous community “Everytime” regarding his visit to a club with his title as GSA president (reported by “Channel PNU” on November 5th, 2024). On November 2nd, an SNS video shared by Lee Chang-Jun was posted on Everytime under the title “He went to the club with the name of the president of the GSA PNU.” The video showed an electronic display of a club located in Seomyeon, Busan, with the words “PNU GSA fighting, PNU OOO (club name) is OO (related name).”

In response, Lee explained in an interview with “Channel PNU” that he submitted an affidavit to the COC of the official mentioned in the controversy, saying, “It was a happening and a mistake was made with complacent thoughts.” The affidavit’s contents were, “There was an event in which the invited club guests displayed their names on the electronic board in the club upon entry. There was no request from the president of the GSA.” The President of the GSA attended the disciplinary committee and explained this for a considerable time, but the disciplinary committee did not accept it.

The loss of trust due to repeated controversies by the GSA president is the cause of the disciplinary committee’s strong disposition. On November 4th,  a day before the disciplinary committee was held, the ECOC confirmed the delegates’ intention based on the collapse of the student community’s trust in the president of the GSA, the fact that it is not the first time to be criticized and that there are considerable doubts about his qualifications as president of the GSA (reported by “Channel PNU” on November 4th, 2024). 90 out of 157 delegates agreed to “propose the dismissal of the GSA president” and “call an extraordinary general meeting of representatives” in two days. Kim Joon-Seo (Dept. of Korean Language and Literature, 19), president of the GSA of the College of Humanities, who delivered the consent signature, said, “By receiving about 90 delegates’ approvals, it was a reasonable basis for the highest level of disciplinary action.”

Criticism surrounding the GSA president has continued since the beginning of 2024. On March 18th, Lee attended a press conference announcing the candidacy of a politician who was rumored to be “rude talk” and caused controversy (reported by “Channel PNU” on March 19th, 2024). Handwritten posters and banners criticizing the president were posted everywhere in the university. In addition, a group of students condemning the GSA president held a protest using department jackets at Yewonjeong in front of the Social Science Building. At that time, the disciplinary committee imposed the lowest level of punishment for “recommending an apology,” sparking controversy over “too light punishment.”

Lee’s behavior, which usually does not seem to admit his fault, also made student representatives turn their backs on him. Multiple GSA officials said that at the GSA workshop held in August, the GSA president made remarks about “inappropriate support for a politician,” saying, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Signs of a lack of leadership in the GSA have been observed several times. Some members of the ECOC did not continuously participate in regular meetings, and the regular general meeting was canceled after six years due to a shortage of delegates. Of the total 159 delegates needed to open the general meeting, 62 (38%) were excluded, but even that did not appear.

The controversy intensified after it was revealed that Lee sent a letter to PNU President Choi Jae-Weon on October 15th saying, “I demand the innovation of PNU’s press” and demanded the dismissal of chief editor professors and school personnel. He then sued the police for insulting some of the handwritten posters in the university with the controversy over “inappropriate support for a politician” that erupted in March (reported by “Channel PNU” on November 5th, 2024).

Eventually, Lee Chang-Jun, who was elected on 2023 December 1st with 62.48% of the support, said, “I will not forget this heart full of passion to create a new PNU until the end of my term.” Lee Chang-Jun was disgraced by “the dismissal at the hands of the students” with only 49 days left until December 24th, the end of his term. He cannot access the GSA’s work data from midnight on the 20th after a two-week transition period.

The power of P:New, which will be led by Seo Seung-Beom (Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, 21) as acting president of the GSA, is expected to rapidly weaken. According to the official, the number of the GSA members has been significantly reduced due to disappointment caused by the controversies and the recovery of the right to run for the election. There was also a notice on SNS on November 5th that the GSA will temporarily suspend resident activities and daily welfare programs due to internal circumstances.

With the GSA president being dismissed, the PNU will hold an election for the 2025 university year at the end of November. The election will go through the election campaign period from the 12th to the 25th, and the voting period is from 9 am to 7 pm on November 26th. According to the disciplinary committee, he will be expelled from the GSA until graduation. During this period, the former GSA president is restricted from participating and demanding all activities, including voting rights.

Reporter You Seung-Hyun

Translated by Seo Ye-Jin