On January 23, the General Council of Korea University’s (KU) Graduate Schools held a press conference in Central Plaza denouncing the plan of the institution’s authorities to raise the tuition fee of new graduate students by 5.5 percent. Since this decision was made without any consultation or agreement with the designated Student Council and related student representatives, protesting graduate students felt compelled to show their dissent toward the lack of consideration and communication.

The main argument posed by the Council emphasized the importance of abiding by the Higher Education Act, a norm that delineates the extensive process that is needed to determine a school’s tuition fee properly. Mentioning the missing involvement of student representatives and the failure to disclose the appointed expert committee members, students vigorously pointed out KU’s inability to recognize and protect the rights of students to take part in the deliberation of their scholastic expenses.

Prospective graduate students also fear that the tuition increase is not proportionate to their needs. “There are not enough funding benefits for graduates to begin with, additional faculty and better facilities are other essentials that have been forever postponed,” mentioned an aspiring postgraduate, shedding light on pressing concerns that warrant active improvements that reflect the tuition hike of more than 1.5 times the norm.