South Korea Looks to End University Professors Abusing Their Authority Over Students

According to the article the “gapjil” problem of professors abusing their authority does not really happen in undergraduate classes, but instead in graduate school where students have to work closely with their professors:

Earlier this month, a former professor saw his appeal denied in a lawsuit he filed to overturn the university’s decision to dismiss him. He was fired for sending inappropriate messages to a graduate student — a female foreign national doing a doctorate.

In 2021, the male professor sent sexually suggestive messages to the Ph.D. student, while implying that he would not pass her dissertation if she continued to avoid his advances. In some of the messages disclosed to the media, he described himself as an “emperor” and the victim a “concubine.”

The case appears to be a classic instance of “gapjil,” which refers to a superior’s abuse of power over an individual in a subordinate role, often by harassment or exploitation.

Although it typically occurs in the workplace, gapjil is also common in universities between professors and students.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but the article is recommending more gender equality centers on campus.