SEOUL - A controversy has emerged at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) following the forceful removal of a graduating student by the Presidential Security Service (PSS) during a ceremony attended by President Yoon Suk Yeol.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the incident occurred when Shin Min-ki, a KAIST graduate and a member of a minor progressive party, was forcibly removed from the event after vocally criticizing the president's policies.
The altercation took place last Friday when Shin, during President Yoon's congratulatory speech, demanded an increase in the government's research and development budget, which had been cut to reallocate funds. PSS agents responded by covering Shin's mouth and physically carrying him out of the ceremony. This action has led to a complaint being filed against the PSS by 26 KAIST alumni, including Kim Hye-min, a former student body president and current member of the opposition Democratic Party. The complaint, lodged on Tuesday, accuses the PSS of abuse of authority, violence, and illegal detention.
Kim Dong-a, the lawyer representing the alumni, criticized the PSS's actions, stating, "In a democratic nation, it is the due right of the people to protest against a president's policies and shout demands." The group alleges that the security service's response was an excessive use of force against Shin.