Sogang University's special refugee admissions track stirs controversy over reverse discrimination

Sogang University's announcement of a special admissions track for foreign refugees in its 2027 freshman recruitment guidelines has sparked an online debate over what some are calling reverse discrimination.

According to Newsis, a social media post that went viral Wednesday read: "Sogang University opens refugee admissions track. What about Korean students who studied hard? What kind of reverse discrimination is this?"

The refugee admissions track is a special program jointly established by the Ministry of Justice and Sogang University to expand access to higher education for students with refugee backgrounds and help them settle in South Korea. The program selects two students with refugee backgrounds each year and supports them from university enrollment through post-graduation employment and entrepreneurship.

When the university signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Justice in June on a "high school support project for students with refugee backgrounds," Sogang University President Shim Jong-hyeok said education for young people forced to flee their homes due to war, violence, poverty and persecution "is more than just a chance to learn — it is a door of hope through which they can begin their lives anew." He said he hoped the agreement would help South Korean society "move toward a more inclusive and responsible community."

The announcement drew backlash from some online users, however.

Critics posted comments including: "This is a prestigious university that even South Korean students struggle to get into"; "Domestic students can barely get into college, and now refugees?"; "Find smart students in Korea who are struggling financially and support their tuition instead"; and "Put your own students first."

Some users noted that South Korea itself received aid from developed nations during the poverty that followed the Korean War and said it was time to give back, but that view was met with heated pushback. "Why should future generations repay the benefits of studying abroad in developed countries?" and "Is South Korea a pushover?" were among the responses.

Meanwhile, Sogang University is a private institution founded in 1960 by the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic Jesuit order in South Korea. President Shim is a Jesuit priest. The university also operates a separate special admissions track for North Korean defector students.