The Seoul Central District Court has ruled against national university students seeking tuition refunds for classes moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jun. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – In a significant legal decision, the Seoul Central District Court has ruled against national university students seeking tuition refunds for classes moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The verdict, delivered on June 27, marks another setback for students claiming their right to education was infringed upon due to the shift to remote learning.
The civil court, presided over by Judge Kim Sang-woo, rejected the lawsuit filed by 366 students from national universities, including Seoul National University and Incheon National University, against their respective institutions and the state.
The court reasoned that the mere transition to online or hybrid classes did not constitute a violation of students’ right to education or indicate substandard instruction.
Furthermore, the judges deemed it difficult to assign fault to the universities, given the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 outbreak in the first semester of 2020.
This case is part of a broader movement initiated by students in July 2020, when they formed the “Tuition Refund Campaign Headquarters” in response to the widespread shift to online learning.
However, this ruling continues a trend of legal defeats for students seeking refunds.
Previous cases involving students from private universities, including Sookmyung Women’s University, Sogang University, Hanyang University, and Ewha Womans University, have also resulted in rulings favoring the institutions.
Both lower and appellate courts in these cases have consistently sided with the universities.
In earlier rulings, courts emphasized that the period in question was one where the right to life was under threat due to COVID-19, making the shift to online classes an unavoidable measure to protect both learning rights and public health.
Appeal courts further stated that educational services provided by universities need not necessarily be predicated on in-person instruction.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
