Court rules against university students seeking tuition refunds during COVID-19 pandemic

A Seoul court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit that a group of national university students filed to seek tuition fee refunds for disruptions to learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 366 students from Seoul National University and Incheon National University filed the suit against the state and school foundations, claiming their right to learn was violated because they could not take in-person classes during the pandemic. But the Seoul Central District Court rejected the suit, saying it is hard to view that their right to learning was violated just because of online classes. In a separate case raised by private university students, the district and appeals court dismissed the request for refunds on similar grounds, saying remote classes were part of inevitable measures to protect the right to life and the right to learn at a time when life was threatened by the coronavirus. The appellate court upheld the lower court's ruling, citing educational services offered by the university need not take the form of face-to-face classes. Source: Yonhap News Agency