Candidate Public Hearing

On March 19, a Candidate Public Hearing was held at the Multimedia Building of Kyung Hee University (KHU) Global Campus, ahead of the 58th General Student Association (GSA) by-election. The Route campaign headquarters presented its key pledges and took part in a Q&A session with the University media outlets.

Route Highlights Grade Eraser, Tuition Reform, and Cooperative Expansion

During the hearing, the Route team highlighted several core pledges, including the introduction of a Grade Eraser System, restructuring the Tuition Deliberation Committee, and expanding KHU cooperatives on the Global Campus.

The proposed Grade Eraser System would allow students who have completed at least five semesters to delete up to six credits from their academic record. Route explained that the policy is intended not as an unlimited grade reset, but as a way to mitigate early academic missteps and reduce long-term academic burden.

Regarding tuition policy, Route pledged to reform the Tuition Deliberation Committee to ensure stronger student representation in tuition negotiations. The team pointed out that the current structure makes it difficult for student opinions to be effectively reflected. As part of the reform, they proposed increasing the number of undergraduate representatives to three and restructuring external advisors to include senior-level University administrators, aiming to enable more accountable and balanced negotiations.

In terms of welfare, the expansion of KHU cooperatives was presented as a key initiative. Moving beyond a nominal introduction of cooperatives, the team proposed attracting a wider range of cooperative-run facilities—including convenience stores, bookstores, and cafes—to establish a stable revenue structure. This, they argued, would help reduce the welfare gap between the Seoul and Global Campuses. The team also emphasized that increasing Cooperatives membership without sufficient benefits would be ineffective, stating that “benefits should be expanded first to encourage broader participation.”

Additional key pledges included the development of a campus-entering bus timetable and the resumption of the Dialogue with the President program.

Q&A Focuses on Cooperative Losses and Curriculum Reform Delays

During the Q&A session, the University media raised concerns about the financial sustainability of Cooperatives, noting that they had operated at a deficit the previous year and that the University had pledged to cover the losses. In response, the Route team acknowledged the deficit but framed it as a potential bargaining tool for the GSA in negotiations with the University. Vice-presidential candidate Park Seo-yeon stated, “To overcome chronic deficits, it is necessary to introduce diversified, revenue-generating facilities such as convenience stores and bookstores.”

Questions were also raised regarding the reform of the general elective courses, given that prior discussions within the Global Campus Humanitas College had failed to produce meaningful outcomes due to differences in position with the Seoul Campus.

Presidential candidate Jung Jae-woo responded that previous efforts had stalled because the Global Campus had not actively pursued the initiative, despite stronger momentum on the Seoul side. He added that, “following communication with the Seoul Campus GSA candidate team Mate, both sides now share a common direction and are considering joint efforts to move the reform forward.”

Route answering questions

In its keynote remarks, the Route team emphasized the importance of building communication structures that allow student opinions to translate into University policy. “We aim to establish a sustainable foundation for student autonomy,” said Park.

Voting will take place entirely online from March 24 to March 26 and vote counting will take place at 7 p.m. on March 26. With only a single candidate ticket running, attention is now focused on whether sufficient voter turnout will be achieved to meet the quorum required to validate the election results.