A petition for the new construction of a KU dormitory. Photographed by Lee Jae Hee.

By Lee Jae Hee (jaehee297@korea.ac.kr)

A petition movement calling for the construction of a new student dormitory in the Gaeun Mountain which is located in the between the Korea University(KU) Anam campus and Gireum Station. The campaign initiated by the Korea University Student Association (KUSA) and its Dotori Project, has been taking place at the West Gate and Nobel Plaza since May 10, 2017. It is scheduled to last until May 25 in the KU Anam campus.

Lee Gyu Sang (’16, Health and Environmental Science), a staff of the campaign, emphasized the necessity of a new dormitory. Lee said, “KU’s dormitory accommodates only 10.4 percent of the entire student population, which is much less than the average rate of school dormitory accommodation of other universities in Seoul.” Lee also stressed the importance of student participation in gaining approvals to build a new dormitory. Construction of a new residence facility in Gaeun Mountain is facing opposition from Seongbuk-gu residents due to environmental and economic issues.

As a part of the movement, KUSA has reached out to local residents as well and collected 637 petitions from the residents of Seongbuk-gu in the polling stations of the presidential election nearby Gaeun Mountain. As for student participation, 1569 students have taken part in the petition thus far.