North Korean authorities have banished two Pyongyang professors to a remote mountain region over years of bribe-taking and sexual harassment of female students, but their decision to spare the men criminal charges has angered many at the university.
Both men taught at the Pyongyang Kim Won Gyun University of Music and Dance, a Daily NK source in Pyongyang said on Monday. The school is named after Kim Won Gyun, the composer of North Korea’s national anthem and trains the singers, musicians and dancers who go on to fill the country’s top state art troupes.
For three to four years, the professors abused the sweeping power they held over their students, grading artistic skills, reviewing graduation theses and recommending students for major state performances. In exchange for strong grades or a spot in a central art troupe, they took thousands of U.S. dollars from parents. Some parents also handed over expensive home appliances to secure the professors’ favor.
Elite schools have long been vulnerable to this kind of graft in North Korea. An admissions scandal centered on a Kim Il Sung University professor exposed similar abuses in 2023.
The two men also repeatedly harassed and molested female students in private practice rooms and faculty offices. Their misconduct came to light only after victims and their parents sent a string of written complaints. North Koreans can file such letters with party and state bodies, though accusing a powerful figure carries real risk.
In mid-August, the university summoned all faculty and staff to an emergency closed-door meeting. There, officials held an ideological struggle session to expose and denounce the two professors. Struggle sessions are mass criticism meetings in which colleagues must publicly condemn the accused and the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea uses them as a tool to enforce discipline in workplaces and schools.
The school branded the pair’s conduct “non-socialist behavior” that betrayed their duty as educators, the source said. The same university previously held a struggle session after students were caught bribing professors with cash-filled envelopes.
Pyongyang professors banished, not imprisoned
The two professors ultimately received a banishment order that applied to their entire families. They avoided criminal charges because they admitted wrongdoing, showed deep remorse and surrendered their bribes to the state, the source said.
One of the men is also the grandson of a soldier killed in the Korean War, a family background that helped soften his punishment considerably, the source said. North Korea’s songbun system ranks every citizen by family background and perceived loyalty to the Kim regime. Descendants of fallen soldiers sit near the top of that hierarchy and often receive lighter treatment.
Still, the professors lost their homes in one of Pyongyang’s most coveted neighborhoods and left for the provinces carrying only a few household belongings. Overnight, they also lost their standing as elite artists and professors in the capital. Authorities have banished entire families from the city for offenses such as a relative’s defection to South Korea.
Many at the university nonetheless see the punishment as far too light for years of abuse. “On the surface, students and staff accepted the authorities’ lenient decision,” the source said. “Inwardly, they felt deeply disillusioned that these men escaped a reform-through-labor camp because of their background and a show of remorse.”
Reform-through-labor camps are North Korea’s prisons for people convicted of ordinary crimes where inmates endure grueling forced labor and harsh conditions for years. The case echoes reports of prosecutors shielding elite students from punishment. Such leniency persists even as Kim Jong Un’s government campaigns against corruption and “anti-socialist” behavior.
The scandal has also drawn criticism of the bribery culture that pervades the university. “People are saying the case that came to light is just the tip of the iceberg,” the source said. “Many feel bribe-taking by professors is a chronic problem across the whole university, not just a few individuals.” Authorities in Ryanggang province have similarly cracked down on professors demanding money and gifts from students.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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November 3, 2026 at 08:13PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)