Nothing has changed. Look here, it's still the same.
On the morning of the 14th at Dongduk Women's University's Wolgok Campus in Seongbuk District, Seoul. A man in his 60s who said he lives nearby pointed with his hand to the words "Against coeducation" sprayed with spray paint (lacquer) on campus facilities and said this. He briefly looked at the graffiti written on the stairs, pillars, and walls of Yeji Hall, one of the lecture buildings, then walked away.
A year has passed since the so-called "lacquer protests" broke out over discussions to convert Dongduk Women's University to coeducation, but restoration work still has not been done. While both the school and students want swift action, they have not reached an agreement on who should bear the expense.
Past the main gate of Dongduk Women's University's Wolgok Campus, phrases such as "Democratic Dongduk," "class boycott," and "men out" were written on the road in black lacquer. Most building exterior walls and facilities still had messages and graffiti left in lacquer. A cleaning worker said, "Some of it has faded with the rain and snow, but it's still there," adding, "I have not seen a single person remove lacquer in the past year."
Dongduk Women's University students occupied some buildings on campus, including the main building, starting on Nov. 10 last year, saying the school was preparing to convert to coeducation without sufficient discussion. The sit-in occupation of the main building continued for 24 days. During this process, phrases written in lacquer across the campus still remain.
The school and students at Dongduk Women's University have continued discussions recently to remove the lacquer and more. They are operating a facilities restoration committee, with four Commissioners each from the school and the student body participating as members.
There is no disagreement that both sides want to proceed quickly with facilities restoration. It is a burden in terms of the educational environment. In particular, there are many voices saying it should be resolved as soon as possible ahead of recruiting new students. Immediately, the competition rate for Dongduk Women's University's 2026 early admission was 9.92 to 1, half of the previous year.
However, the school and the students are still seeking common ground on who will bear how much of the expense.
Students want the restoration to use school funds (the school budget). According to a survey released by the emergency response committee of the Dongduk Women's University student council, of 725 student respondents, 53.1% agreed with financing facility restoration expense through "school funds and student fundraising." Another 42.1% said it should be restored using only "school funds." Responses saying it should be covered by "student fundraising" without school funds came to just 4.8%. (☞ [Exclusive] Restoration cost for Dongduk Women's University's lacquer paint that could reach "as much as 5 billion won"… 42.1% of students say "only with school money")
However, restoring facilities solely with school funds would also be a heavy burden for the school. Earlier, a repair company commissioned by Dongduk Women's University estimated the "building repair and cleaning" expense at 2 billion to 5 billion won. That amounts to 3.7% to 9.4% of Dongduk Women's University's annual tuition revenue (53 billion won).
The Dongduk Educational Foundation, the school corporation, held a board meeting on the 23rd of last month and approved the "emergency restoration plan for lacquer contamination" reported by Dongduk Women's University. It is known to include the overall restoration plan and a note that lacquer removal needs to proceed before the weather gets cold.
However, restoration work can begin only after a final conclusion is reached between the school and students at the facilities restoration committee. A Dongduk Women's University official said, "The school's emergency restoration plan includes the overall content, and the facilities restoration committee will draw up specific measures."