Popular Actress Endorses Student Protests At Korean Women’s Universities, Gets Targeted With Online Harassment

Recently, student protests have erupted across different women’s universities in South Korea to push back against their possible transition to co-educational schools. Actress Kim Soo Jung became the first celebrity to clarify her stance on this matter.

The protests started at Dongduk Women’s University after students discovered that the administration was considering admitting male students in the future. School filings also showed that they had admitted six male students this year to the Korean Language & Culture Studies program. Students at the university have voiced their dissent through multiple demonstrations and even had the police called on them.

Amid rising tensions with the administration, student bodies have called for the popular alumni of Dongduk University to speak up about the issue. Actress Kim Soo Jung, who was a student at the university but dropped out later, responded to this call and shared a screenshot of an online petition she signed to support the students.

This open display of support has brought forth a flood of hate comments to the actress’s social media, but the actress refuses to back down. She took a screenshot of an online community post making sexually harassing comments about her and uploaded it on her Instagram story, calling them out.

I wanted to remain a women’s university graduate, but seeing you guys acting like this makes me want to pursue engineering. Honestly, I really hate men who are gloomy and inadequate like you all. You’re not even men.

— Kim Soo Jung

Since then, the actress has been posting screenshots of her listening to songs about empowered women, including tripleS’s “Girls Never Die” and “Wonder Woman” by SeeYa, Davichi, and T-ARA.

Kim Soo Jung’s unapologetic endorsement of the female student protests and the follow-up posts have garnered divided reaction from netizens. While many vowed to stop supporting her career as an actor, many non-fans declared their admiration for her conviction. Going by the comments on her latest YouTube video, it appears that she has earned many new subscribers due to her stance.

Meanwhile, Dongduk University students have called on other alumni celebrities, such as Girl’s Day’s Minah, KARA’s Gyuri, and WJSN’s Soobin, among others, to use their platforms and speak up for their alma mater.