Chonnam grad-student death investigation finds professors abused their power, treated student like personal servant
Published: 26 Nov. 2025, 21:47
Updated: 26 Nov. 2025, 22:06
![A view of Chonnam National University's campus in Gwangju [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/26/f1af46fd-ee5e-40c1-9dd9-fc15253e54be.jpg)
A view of Chonnam National University's campus in Gwangju [JOONGANG ILBO]
An internal investigation by Chonnam National University has confirmed that allegations of power abuse by professors — raised after a graduate student’s death in July — were largely true.
Chonnam National University announced Wednesday that it had shared the results of its internal investigation with the family of the deceased student, who was found dead in a campus dormitory on July 13.
The student had been working under two professors from the College of Engineering while pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies between 2024 and 2025.
The investigation found that one of the two professors made the student run personal errands, including buying and selling bookshelves online, watering plants and ordering meals.
The university’s investigative committee also concluded that the two professors regularly addressed the student in chat messages using nicknames and demanded immediate responses — behavior deemed humiliating.
There was also evidence that the professors diverted the student’s stipend for lab expenses. The student had ghostwritten a technical report requested from outside the university.
The second of the two professors reportedly had the student prepare lectures and was involved in opaque financial transactions amounting to several million won. The professor also assigned personal tasks, including ordering microwavable rice, disposing of waste at a rural cabin, selling a used volleyball, planning a golf tournament and acting as a chauffeur — with at least 42 instances of personal errands identified.
The second professor also referred to the student with a humiliating nickname rather than using their real name or title.
Chonnam National University said it convened a total of 10 investigation committee meetings to examine the allegations raised since the student’s death.
“We will do our utmost to ensure the wishes of the bereaved family are respected and will continue institutional reforms to improve graduate student rights and research conditions,” a university spokesperson said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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