Former Sungkyunkwan University professor Nam Jeong-suk, who was notified of being ineligible for reappointment after notifying the school of sexual harassment from a fellow professor during his tenure, interviews the JoongAng Ilbo on the 22nd. Reporter Kim Sang-sun
“Mom, if I sue, I don’t think I will be a full professor in the future… ”
When he was hesitant to sue a fellow professor who molested him, the 76-year-old old mother’s voice over the phone was resolute.
“Hey, bitch, would you like to continue to be patient and live?”
She was a daughter who had dreamed of becoming a professor her whole life, and her dream was her mother’s dream. The mother helped her to cry for her mature daughter.
“It’s okay not to be a professor, so let’s do it until the end.”
In 2015, the’MeToo trial’ of former Sungkyunkwan University professor Nam Jeong-sook began.
I won all the Me Too trials…
The four MeToo trials that took place over six years were the ‘success’ of Professor Nam. In addition to the trial, it was approved for industrial accidents due to sexual violence. Prof. Lee Mo, a perpetrator who committed forced harassment and sexual harassment to Professor Nam at a departmental event (MT) in April 2014, lost both civil and criminal lawsuits. He also won defamation and dismissal invalidation lawsuits filed against the school. Prof. Nam Jeon, who served as a full-time professor at Sungkyunkwan University for 12 years as a full-time professor at Daewoo, started as part-time lecturer in 2004, and was eliminated from reappointment in the year of exposing Me Too (2015).
Even after the court’s ruling in the first trial that judged this as unfair dismissal in October last year, Professor Nam has not returned to school. In an interview with JoongAng Ilbo, Prof. Nam revealed the reality after Me Too, which cannot return to’the past, peaceful daily life’.
Former Sungkyunkwan University professor Nam Jeong-suk, who was notified of being ineligible for reappointment after notifying the school of sexual harassment from a fellow professor during his tenure, interviews the JoongAng Ilbo on the 22nd. Reporter Kim Sang-sun
The daily life of the past that cannot be returned
- After six years of trial, he won all courts related to Me Too. How much has the damage recovery been done?
- Looking at the results of the trial alone, I think it was the 1% benefited. After the Me Too movement was triggered, numerous victims have voiced their voices, but the reality of the Me Too trial is that there are not many cases that have gone to trial and it is difficult to win because of “lack of evidence”. However, I, too, are still unable to recover from damage. At the time when I decided on the lawsuit, I knew that if I won the trial, everything would be over and settled. I thought I could go back to school if the court admits that I was unfairly fired. But not. There is no genuine apology from the perpetrators or the school, and the school reluctantly proposes reinstatement to the court’s order, but only imposes humiliating conditions of relief.
- What are the humiliating conditions?
- After winning the lawsuit for invalidation of dismissal in October last year, the school has proposed reinstatement for the first time in five years. However, at the time of the trial, he said, “The rules for Daewoo professors have changed,” and now, like a lecturer who receives an hourly wage, the condition is subtly degrading the status, position, and salary. My argument is that, according to the court’s decision, the treatment, position, and salary before unfair dismissal should be maintained. However, the school side is driving me as a’person who makes unscrupulous demands even though it is a non-full-time teacher’, saying it cannot be helped due to the change in regulations.
- What are your thoughts on the response of the power-type Me Too perpetrators?
- There are certain patterns in the merit of sexual crimes in power. When sexual violence occurs and exposes it, secondary harassment and stigma are carried out on the victim at the organizational level. When I raised the question, I was also asked a number of questions, such as,’Isn’t there a usual romance with the professor (perpetrator)?’ And as the victim’s voice gets louder, it is the logic of the perpetrator and the organization to shout out loud, saying,’Do the law.’ That way, Me Too turns into a long legal battle. However, even if the victim wins, the’happy ending’ does not come to the victim.
On March 8, 2018, in front of the YWCA Center in Myeong-dong, Seoul, on March 8, 2018, members of the Korean YWCA Federation are holding a’YWCA march to support the Me Too Movement and eradicate sexual violence’. Reporter Woo Sang-jo
- Why is it not a’happy ending’ even if you win the trial?
- What victims desperately want after Me Too is punishment for the perpetrator and’recovery to everyday life’. However, the perpetrator or the perpetrator’s organization retaliates by removing the space for the victim to return after Me Too. The court’s ruling must be followed, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t meet all the demands of the disgusting victim who exposed Me Too… . This organizational logic eliminates the victim’s’place to return to the peaceful life of the past’. After all, from the victim’s point of view, the process of reinstatement itself is the beginning of another struggle.
- Even after winning, he is still actively voicing about the Me Too movement.
- In the meantime, I have drawn a lot of sympathy to 99% of people by talking about my experiences of sexual violence by 1% of the people in power. The reason the Me Too movement was able to spread rapidly in Korea was because of the unspeakable sympathy of the victims and the anger of the whole people. However, looking back,’empathy of the heart’ occurred, but’empathy of the system’ is still absent. In order for victims to return to society properly and to be protected, the system must eventually change, and contradictions begin from here. This is because it is the 1% power people who create this system after all.
- What is needed to resolve the contradiction.
- Changing the system is, after all, a matter of politics. During the Me Too movement, many attempts were made to contact women’s organizations and women’s lawmakers to change this. However, no one listened to my voice, which was so-called’listening’, which had no one-sided sense in the female world. I was greatly disappointed by the appearance of women’s organizations and women’s lawmakers who only tried to use Me Too politically. The reality of the victims of sex crimes did not seem to improve because of the appearance of the 1% powerful people who make the law. This is why I have been interested in politics since last year. Me Too is, after all, a human rights issue for the weak. The system should be supported so that the victims can speak up confidently and that society can protect them and help them return.
At the end of the interview, Professor Nam mentioned the poem’Answer Song’ of Seosan Ambassador. “Do not walk dizzy when walking in the snow. The road I have walked today will be a milestone for others in the future.”
Professor Nam said, “The reason why my future steps, which were unfairly dismissed due to Me Too, are important is contained in this text. If I return to work while accepting the humiliating conditions of relief from the school side, I am afraid that there will be more cases of victims being treated.”
Sungkyunkwan University “One-sided assertion of former professor Nam”
Sungkyunkwan University, which proposed reinstatement to Professor Nam, has filed an appeal against the results of the first trial of a lawsuit for invalidating dismissal. Sungkyunkwan University’s side said, “It is only one-sided argument by Nam Jeon to suggest humiliating relief conditions,” and said, “The discussion on reinstatement is ongoing.”
Reporter Garam Lee [email protected]