Article source: www.persecution.org
South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled against a law school’s refusal to reschedule an interview due to a conflict with a religious belief. This decision highlights its commitment to religious freedom.
Jin Im, a Seventh-day Adventist, requested the president of Chonnam National University make an exception to the school’s policy of randomly assigning interview times and groups to accommodate Im’s observance of the Sabbath. The university randomly assigned Im to an interview session on Saturday morning, which directly conflicted with the Sabbath observance of the Seventh-day Adventists.
Im requested a change in schedule from the university, which it denied. Consequently, Im could not attend her interview and the university denied her admission.
The original trial ruled against Im, but the appellate court overturned the case , stating, “The defendant, being the president of a national university and exercising public authority, must consider ways to allow the plaintiff to participate in the interview by her conscience without compromising the fairness and equity of the student selection process. The refusal to accommodate the plaintiff’s request violates the principle of minimal infringement and is unlawful due to the misuse of discretion.”
The Supreme Court agreed with the appellate court, marking it as the first decision by a court that accepts a Seventh-day Adventist’s request for a change in academic scheduling. In April and June 2010 and 2023, the Constitutional Court of South Korea ruled against Seventh-day Adventists’ requests to change exam schedules that fell on Saturdays.
Following the most recent ruling, a spokesperson for the Supreme Court said, “This is the first decision by either the Constitutional Court or the Supreme Court to explicitly acknowledge a Seventh-day Adventist’s request for a change in the test schedule. It clarifies the obligations of administrative authorities to prevent Seventh-day Adventists and other minorities from facing undue discrimination due to their religious beliefs.”
The court’s ruling marks a historic occasion for the small sect of Christianity in South Korea. Only 44% of the country’s population identifies as practicing a religion, 45% of whom identify as Protestant.
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Date published: 13/05/2024
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only. Artwork adapted from www.freepik.com
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