On September 26, Korea University (KU) hosted a seminar on the issue of disability rights by Park Kyung-Seok, the leader of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD). SAAD, a headline advocate for improved accessibility of public transportation, has drawn controversy for their Way to Work Protests, in which protesters obstruct subway stations during commuting hours.

Though the announcement of a lecture by Mr. Park was previously announced by the Korea University Students Union (KUSU), the lecture was canceled three days after its announcement due to adverse reactions in online school communities, such as Koreapas and Everytime. On September 23, KUSU’s Division of Human Rights declared through an Instagram post the nullification of the lecture, stating “administrative complications.” However, the seminar was hosted regularly by its co-host, the Seoul Collegiate Coalition of Human Rights.

Despite students’ discontent with the mass inconveniences caused by the SADD’s Way to Work Protests, the way in which KUSU immediately canceled a scheduled lecture based on online reactions has drawn controversy among some. KU graduates and other like-minded individuals released the “Mass-signature of Graduates and Citizens in Support of the Freedom of Thought in Korea University.” In an official statement, around 260 signers castigated how KUSU took away a venue of discussion purely based on grievances by a limited number of students.