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Hyeonseon Namgung, Jieun Park   |   2025.04.13   |   No.18
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Absence of the 41st General Student Council President
The meeting room of the General Student Council SeoulTech’s General Student Council plays an essential role for students by representing their rights and perspectives on various aspects of university life. The council aims to foster democratic citizenship through its own democratic processes and activities. It also works to promote a vibrant university culture and support individual autonomy, ultimately encouraging students to contribute to society and the development of a democratic nation. However, under the presidency of Gyuyong Jeong, the 41st General Student Council, Gyeol, has hit a roadblock in fulfilling these tasks. Jeong was elected last November despite being on two academic probations, warnings issued to students with a regular semester GPA below 1.75. These probations were not officially disclosed prior to voting, nor were they mentioned at any point by Jeong during his candidacy. The 40th General Student Council STation was widely regarded as a success. This reputation was the result of several key achievements, including its support for reserve forces transportation, its influence on improving the relative grading system, the introduction of a 1,000 won breakfast program, and the implementation of a current student certification system. These achievements made many students to have high expectations for Gyeol’s upcoming program, and it duly won the vote, despite fierce competition, with a margin of 42 votes. However, within three months of Gyeol’s victory, it was struck by crisis, with Jeong expelled as a result of an additional academic probation received in the second semester of 2024. This rendered the position of president vacant, something students were not made aware of until some time after the start of Spring 2025. Commenting on the situation, Jeong stated that he was under the impression that a student could only be expelled once a total of four academic probations had been received. He also claimed not to know that three consecutive semesters of academic probations would lead to expulsion. He added that he had only recently become aware of the situation and was therefore in a state of confusion himself. He apologized to his fellow students. At the General Student Representative Meeting held on March 17, a motion to approve Jeong’s resignation was rejected, with 78 votes in favor, 94 against, and 21 abstentions. However, many students voiced concerns, arguing that it was inappropriate to hold a resignation vote for a president who had already been expelled. They also criticized the meeting’s limited accessibility, noting that it was not open to the entire student body. On March 24, an Extraordinary General Student Meeting was held for enrolled SeoulTech students but was declared invalid due to a failure to meet quorum. According to council regulations, at least 1/25th of the total enrolled student body must be present for such a meeting to be officially convened. However, only around 130 students attended—far short of the required 420. Despite the meeting being ruled invalid, Gyeol issued official statements via Instagram and SeoulTech’s Everytime app, confirming that Vice President Yeonghyeon Kim would temporarily assume the role of acting president. According to SeoulTech’s Student Council Regulations, preliminary registration for the General Student Council requires the following: the establishment of an election campaign headquarters, consent for the collection and use of personal information from all campaign staff, submission of candidate resumes, and the campaign’s official manifesto. Once this registration is complete, candidates become official upon confirmation. As outlined in Article 39 [Qualifying Candidate], the process involves: 1. Validating the documents submitted by the preliminary candidate under Article 36 to assess whether the candidate meets the necessary qualifications. 2. Verifying the authenticity of the documents and the candidate’s qualifications, strictly in accordance with the criteria specified in Article 40. However, eligibility is ultimately determined by the submission of the Declaration of Candidacy. 3. The process is overseen by the Central Election Commission, which may receive support from the Working Committees if needed. 4. The Central Election Commission must initiate this process immediately after the registration deadline and complete it within 12 hours. However, in light of the unprecedented expulsion of a serving president, the scope of information disclosed during the candidate registration process appears to be too narrow. Given that students are the ones casting their votes, it is essential to provide more comprehensive information than what is typically included in a standard résumé. Improved standards are crucial in fostering a culture of student autonomy, one in which students have the knowledge and awareness to actively exercise their right to vote. Amid ongoing concerns about the General Student Council operating without a president, the Executive Committee has pledged to carry out all scheduled projects without disruption. It has promised to remain faithful to its commitments and to continue serving the student body to the best of its ability. Upon election, the 41st General Student Council, Gyeol, stated in its inaugural speech that the General Student Council must represent the voices of students and actively step forward, guided by its slogan: “A conclusion to be made together with a consistent mind.” Now that an acting president has been confirmed, Gyeol must stick to this pledge. Although the role of president is currently being filled on an interim basis, the vacancy must not hinder Gyeol’s work; its term should be fulfilled responsibly, with a commitment to overcoming the current problems. The SeoulTech sincerely hopes that the General Student Council’s current challenges will be an opportunity for improvement so that it can fulfill its role and meet its longer-term goals.   Reporters Hyeonseon Namgung namgung0121@seoultech.ac.kr Jieun Park pk325382@g.seoultech.ac.kr
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