A public hearing for the 2026 Seoul Campus General Student Association (GSA) by-election was held on March 25 in Room 111 of Orbis Hall. The hearing lasted about two hours and included a policy speech, keyword questioning, media inquiries, and additional Q&A. The session provided students with a valuable opportunity to engage directly with the candidate, gain a clearer understanding of their policies.

MATE is preparing to speak. On the left, main candidate Shin Chang-hoon; on the right, vice candidate Han Soo-yeon

Photo by Chung, So-young | The University Life

MATE’s Vision for Seoul Campus GSA

During the policy presentation, the sole candidate team, MATE emphasized their commitment to directly addressing students’ concerns and strengthening student governance at Kyung Hee University. The candidate highlighted three key priorities: protecting students’ rights, supporting their future, and improving everyday student life.

To ensure students are effectively represented in financial and policy decisions, MATE announced plans to operate a permanent tuition negotiation task force team in collaboration with the Global Campus and Graduate Student’s Association. They also stated that a public forum would be established to allow students to provide input on academic system changes, such as the proposed mileage-based course registration, ensuring that student feedback is reflected in university decision-making.

For career and employment support, MATE intends to build a comprehensive competency portfolio platform to document and manage academic, extracurricular, and external experiences. They also plan to implement a grade eraser system to help students improve past low grades and introduce a self-designed credit system to recognize off-campus experiences and project-based learning for academic credit.

To improve students’ daily lives, the candidate pledged to address housing and campus event issues. Plans include establishing a low-cost cooperative dormitory in Dongdaemun District and launching a centralized website for festival information, enhancing accessibility and convenience for students.

A student is holding a policy booklet in his hand

Photo by Bae, Min-ji | The University Life

Key Questioning: MATE on Exchange, Future, and Student Sovereignty

The next session was the keyword questioning. Each of the three media outlets — V.O.U., The University Life, and Daehak Jubo selected one key policy and asked the candidate questions on-site. The keywords were not disclosed in advance, and responses were limited to five minutes per question. MATE shared their own thoughts on three keywords: exchange, future, and student sovereignty.

Under the first keyword, exchange, MATE emphasized the importance of meaningful interactions across different fields, campuses, and institutions. As vice-presidential candidate Han Su-yeon explained, “A good exchange is not just meeting many people, but connecting different resources to create opportunities for growth and learning.” The candidate highlighted plans such as a collaborative winter forum among three universities in Dongdaemun District, designed to integrate social innovation, bio-health, language, and urban science expertise.

MATE also stressed connecting domestic and international students through cultural programs, tailored career support, and expanded international initiatives. “We want domestic and international students’ campus and overseas experiences to naturally connect,” she added. Everyday cultural and leisure activities, like group baseball outings, were included to foster stronger community engagement.

The second keyword, future, led the candidate to address students’ anxiety about academic paths, careers, and extracurricular development. Presidential candidate Shin Chang-hoon stated, “We want students to see the future not as uncertainty, but as potential they can actively design and pursue.” MATE presented initiatives such as a self-designed credit system, a comprehensive competency portfolio platform, and dual-degree programs with overseas universities to help students recognize and build on their experiences.

The final keyword, student sovereignty, focused on restoring trust in student governance following the previous election scandal. As Han explained, “Student sovereignty is not just about raising voices, but having meaningful influence in the university’s decision-making process.” Policies include explanation sessions, public hearings, surveys, and joint committees prior to major academic system changes, such as the proposed mileage-based course registration. Shin added, “We aim to create a system where students can actively guide student council decisions and participate in shaping the University’s policies.”

Candidate Shin is continuing to answer questions from the press

Photo by Bae, Min-ji | The University Life

Media and Student Q&A Session

The second part began with a Q&A session with the three media outlets. Each outlet was given 20 minutes to question the candidate.

In the media Q&A session, questions largely focused on the feasibility of pledges and their implementation structures. Regarding the cost of restoring the GSA website and other digital initiatives, Shin stated that “cost itself is not a major issue, but rather a matter of persuasion and justification.” He also proposed a model in which development would be carried out with student participation rather than outsourcing.

Concerns were also raised about the practical feasibility of addressing delays on the Gyeongui–Jungang Line. In response, Han emphasized that “regardless of whether the issue can be fully resolved, it is the role of the student council to bring students’ inconveniences into public discourse.” Shin added that they would “seek to elevate the issue into a public agenda, particularly during the local election period, and explore alternative policy solutions.”

The questions then turned to the pledge on expanding tailored career programs for international students. When asked what differentiating factors would prevent the current programs run by the Office of International Affairs from merely replicating existing structures, MATE replied, “Programs need to be designed based on the needs of international students, with surveys and feedback used to provide an integrated approach that supports actual employment as well as subsequent visa and housing issues.” The candidate also added that regular consultations with the Office of International Affairs would be pursued to develop a feasible program model.

Questions then shifted to the restructuring of the Academy Autonomy Promotion Committee. MATE noted that the existing committee’s roles and functions were unclear, limiting the effectiveness of student self-governance. They explained plans to reorganize the committee into subcommittees such as the Academic Reform Committee, University Operations and Finance Oversight Committee, and Student Agenda Research Committee, aiming to strengthen public discourse and ensure student input is reflected in policy decisions. MATE emphasized that this restructuring would enable student governance to bring about tangible change.

During the additional Q&A session, a question was raised about the effectiveness of the proposed tuition monitoring system. In response, Shin stated, “While past disclosures remained at the level of simple financial summaries, we will now establish both concrete student demands and clear commitments from the University.” MATE will refine these demands by reflecting student voices and, as the candidate noted, “continue to push the University to move beyond vague promises and present actionable plans.”

MATE also emphasized that financial forums would be held to ensure transparency and communication with students. Furthermore, the candidate added, “We will evaluate and disclose the results by comparing whether the university fulfilled its commitments and whether the student council implemented the students’ demands.”

With the candidate’s abilities and policies vetted through the public hearing, the final stage is the vote. Whether trust in student self-governance can be restored now rests entirely in the hands of the students. Voting will be conducted from March 30 to April 1, closing at 6 p.m.