Exposing Dongguk University: Racialized Sexual Violence, Institutional Betrayal, and Alleged Public Funds Fraud (2016–2025)

From International Protest to Academic Analysis to Current Crisis: The 7-Year Fight Against Korea's Defamation Laws

The fight against South Korea's criminal defamation laws spans nearly a decade of international criticism, academic research, and advocacy—yet the system remains unchanged, continuing to protect perpetrators of sexual violence while criminalizing victims who speak truth.

2018: Article 19 Sounds the Alarm

In May 2018, Article 19, the international human rights organization defending freedom of expression, issued a stark warning about South Korea's criminal defamation laws, calling them "a grave threat to freedom of expression."

Their analysis revealed the fundamental problems that persist today:

Truth is Not a Defense: Article 19 emphasized that "the possibility of criminal sanctions for the statement of true facts is extremely problematic; dissemination of true statements should never be actionable since one cannot defend a reputation one does not deserve in the first place."

Weaponization by Power: "In South Korea, and other countries around the world, criminal defamation provisions are favoured tools of rich and powerful individuals seeking to silence those who raise concerns about their misdeeds," said Thomas Hughes, Article 19's Executive Director.

Systematic Abuse Pattern: Article 19 documented how "criminal defamation provisions have often been used by those in positions of power to limit public debate, stifle criticism and silence those with less influence."

The organization noted that these laws had "frequently been used to charge individuals criticising government officials" and created "a chilling effect on media reporting, public discourse and other means of exercising the right to freedom of expression."

2022: Academic Validation Through K-Pop Lens

Four years later, Rebecca Xu's groundbreaking academic paper "K-Pop's Secret Weapon: South Korea's Criminal Defamation Laws" provided comprehensive legal analysis through the lens of celebrity bullying scandals, validating Article 19's concerns with scholarly rigor.

International Isolation Confirmed: Xu's research proved Korea stands alone among democracies: "Only developed democracy where truth can be criminalized." Even European Union countries with criminal defamation maintain truth as absolute defense.

Systematic Historical Abuse: The paper documented how every modern Korean president—Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, Moon Jae-in—weaponized defamation laws against critics, with prosecutions tripling since 2014.

Entertainment Industry Evolution: Xu revealed how defamation law expanded from political suppression to corporate silencing, with K-pop agencies threatening fans and critics with criminal prosecution for truthful statements about celebrity misconduct.

Academic Solutions: Xu recommended complete decriminalization, noting that "civil defamation is enough to protect the right to reputation without overstepping too much on the toes of the right to freedom of expression."

2025: The Crisis Intensifies—Sexual Violence Protection System

Seven years after Article 19's warning and three years after Xu's academic analysis, the situation has reached crisis levels. Korea's defamation laws now function as a sophisticated sexual violence protection system, specifically targeting foreign students and women.

The Triple Threat Against Foreign Victims:

Korea Economic Institute analysis (registered under FARA as agent of Korean government-established KIEP) admits: "Even if the statement is true, Article 310 of the Criminal Act specifies that a person is exonerated from defamation only if these facts are true and solely for the interest of the public."

For foreign students facing sexual violence, this creates devastating barriers:

  1. Truth criminalized: Unlike US/Canada, Korea prosecutes truthful statements about sexual violence
  2. Racialized "public interest": Foreign victims must prove their sexual violence serves Korean "public interest"—nearly impossible when society views them as outsiders
  3. Criminal prosecution threat: Victims face imprisonment for speaking about experiences
  4. Amplified silencing: Racial bias makes proving "public interest" virtually impossible

Statistical Reality: Korean Women's Development Institute data shows 61.5% of female arts students experience sexual violence, with 65.5% perpetrated by professors. Film departments—where many foreign students enroll—have the highest risk score (81/100).

Legal Intimidation in Action: Recent legal threats from entertainment corporations against sexual violence documentation reveal how defamation law shields perpetrators while criminalizing accountability advocacy.

The Progression: From Warning to Crisis

The evolution from 2018 to 2025 shows escalating harm:

2018: Article 19 warned of "chilling effect on media reporting"
2022: Academic research proved systematic political abuse
2025: System now specifically targets foreign sexual violence victims

International Pressure Remains Consistent:

Korea's Isolation Deepens:

While international criticism mounted, Korea moved backward:

Current Advocacy: Breaking the Protection System

Our comprehensive documentation reveals how defamation laws specifically enable sexual violence against foreign students through:

Academic Pipeline Exploitation: Korea uses Hallyu (K-pop, K-dramas) to recruit foreign women into programs with documented sexual violence risks, then criminalizes their testimony.

Legal Weaponization: Corporate legal threats demonstrate systematic silencing tactics against sexual violence documentation.

Media Blackout: 59 emails to Korean media outlets resulted in zero coverage, proving the chilling effect Article 19 warned about.

Institutional Protection: Universities, entertainment companies, and government agencies use defamation law to suppress accountability while protecting perpetrators.

International Stakes

Korea's defamation laws violate multiple international commitments:

Korean government's own analysis admits these laws "impede victims of sexual violence from speaking out" and protect "powerful individuals."

The Academic-Advocacy Bridge

Rebecca Xu's academic work provides crucial scholarly foundation for current advocacy by:

  1. Legitimizing reform demands: Peer-reviewed analysis proves these aren't just activist concerns
  2. International comparison: Shows Korea's isolation from democratic norms
  3. Policy solutions: Provides concrete reform pathways with international precedent
  4. Historical documentation: Proves systematic abuse across multiple sectors

The progression from Article 19's 2018 protest through Xu's 2022 academic analysis to current 2025 advocacy reveals how international warnings were ignored, academic research was dismissed, and the system evolved into an even more sophisticated silencing mechanism.

Call for Action

Seven years of documentation, international criticism, and academic analysis prove one conclusion: Korea's criminal defamation laws cannot be reformed—they must be abolished.

The evidence is overwhelming:

The stakes are clear:

Every foreign student recruited through Hallyu appeal represents a potential victim of this system—lured by cultural promises, trapped by laws designed to silence their truth.

The sex slaves of today are not historical figures. They are foreign students in Korean universities right now, suffering in silence because truth itself has been criminalized to protect their perpetrators.

Resources:

Only complete abolition of criminal defamation law can break this protection system and restore justice for victims of sexual violence.