Sewol Ferry Memorial and Campus Environment Improvement Posters Removed
Human Rights Commission: “Limiting Freedom of Expression by Excluding Political Expressions”
[Seoul=Newsis] Correspondent Cho Seong-ha reports that the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has determined that the removal of posters on a university campus violated students’ freedom of expression.
The NHRCK announced on the 21st that it had recommended the university president in Seoul to establish measures allowing students to express their thoughts freely through campus postings and to revise the disciplinary regulations related to non-academic political expressions.
Previously, two students from the university had filed a complaint with the NHRCK, claiming that their posters commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Sewol Ferry incident and calling for improvements in the educational environment were removed from school facilities last May.
The university explained that the posters were removed according to promotional material regulations because they did not follow established size standards and lacked prior approval.
However, the NHRCK’s Children’s Rights Committee noted, “While the autonomy of universities should be respected, regulations that entirely exclude students’ political and social expressions or mandate prior approval for all postings pose a risk of undermining the essential function of freedom of expression.”
They also judged that removing the public interest posters solely due to procedural violations excessively restricted freedom of expression.
Furthermore, regarding the disciplinary regulations containing provisions related to political activities, the NHRCK pointed out that “such regulations could potentially restrict the free posting of political expressions or critical opinions concerning school management.”
As a result, the NHRCK recommended that the university allow the free use of the student council bulletin board without prior approval and amend the disciplinary regulations that could limit freedom of expression.