The 8th memorial ceremony for Prof. Ko Hyeon-Cheol was held on the 3rd floor of Pusan National University (PNU) main administration building. Attendants commemorated his dedication to retaining a direct election system for the president of the university, to preserve the university’s autonomy and democracy. 

On August 17, the ceremony was organized by “The Professor Ko Hyeon-Cheol Memorial Foundation.” Attendees included PNU President Cha Jeong-In, priest Song Gi-In (standing advisor, Buma Democratic Uprising Memorial Foundation), and Prof. Kim Jeong-Gu (the head of the Faculty Council). The commemoration proceeded with a moment of silence, followed by a screening of a memorial video, introduction of Prof. Ko, progress report of the memorial project, commemoration speeches, a recitation of a memorial poem, and memorial performances.

President Cha, giving the commemoration speech, stated, “When PNU, standing alone, struggled to preserve the autonomy and spirit of the university, Prof. Ko tried to awaken the indifference and to carry all the burdens alone. We will remember the value and spirit that he fought for by sacrificing everything and make even greater efforts to pass them to his juniors and students.”

Next, a speech by the priest Song followed, emphasizing the progression toward democracy. He said, “Eight years have passed since the sacrifice of Prof. Ko, but the society remains stagnant despite his devotion. We must raise the flag of democracy again and boldly move forward contemplating what we would do for the society.”

After the ceremony, the attendees dedicated flowers in front of the main administration building. Prof. Kim stated, “We would deeply honor Prof. Ko, who sought the recovery of university autonomy and democracy.” During the statement, he quoted Prof. Ko’s suicide note as saying, “Democratization of the University is the last bastion of democracy. That is why it matters and why PNU should take the role of protecting it. I will endure the required sacrifice.”

When he passed away, most national universities changed the direct presidential election system to an indirect one due to the pressure of the Ministry of Education. In PNU, there were also conflicts between the Faculty Council and the Head Offices, debating whether or not to keep the direct system. In August, 2015, Prof. Ko fell from the main adiministration building, shouting that, “The president must uphold the direct election.” In his testament, he wrote that he would endure the required sacrifice for true democracy. When the election in November, 2015, took place, the Faculty Council and the Head Offices decided on an agreement to elect the president of the university directly. Then, PNU was the only national university that held direct elections.

On the same day, the General Students' Association (GSA) conducted a silent picketing for an hour in front of the memorial site, urging to revise the Presidential Appointment Recommendation Committee. The association demanded an increase in the proportion of students by revising the committee that chooses the presidential candidates. Kim Yo-Seop (Dept. of Korean Language and Literature, 20), president of the GSA, said, “By picketing, we aim to highlight that we have many things to deal with for the significance of preserving university democratization through the sacrifice of Prof. Ko and true essence of the direct presidential election system. Please contribute to empower students to participate more actively in the election for the university representative.”

Reporter You Seung-Hyun

Translated by Lee Soo-Hyun