Prof. was fired for criticizing Japanese collaborators
Seoul Central District Court ruled that the government should pay Professor Kim Min-soo, 45, of Seoul National University (SNU), compensation of 371 million won (391,000 USD). Professor Kim was fired from his post nearly seven years ago without reasonable explanation, after he had criticized former professors for their collaboration with Japan during the colonial period. This is the first case in which a professor of a public university, after being dropped and later restored to his position, has been compensated for lost wages. In an essay published in 1996, Professor Kim, who teaches Design Theory and History, criticized his predecessors at SNU who had collaborated with Japan during the colonial period; he subsequently failed to be reappointed in 1998, with no reaonable explanation given. He has struggled through legal battles in order to regain his post, which he won back in March this year.The court decision read that "the government should pay Professor Kim 321 million won in wages and 50 million won in damages for the period he was left out of reappointment." According to the ruling, "When the college refused to reappoint Professor Kim, its screening criteria were unreasonable in terms of universally accepted ones. Kim’s research performance appeared to have passed the criteria, so SNU’s [firing of him] was unlawful." The ruling is anticipated to affect future court decisions on similar issues. The current law does not specify compensation after professors are reappointed, but the latest ruling fixes the compensation period as the entire time out of work.
