Critics say a library space honoring the Chinese leader highlights Beijing’s influence operations at Seoul National University.
SEOUL—A South Korean lawmaker has joined student calls to shut down Seoul National University’s (SNU) “Xi Jinping Collection Room,” a section of the main library that houses more than 10,000 books and videos donated by the Chinese leader after his visit to the country in 2014.
Na Kyung‑won, a member of the People Power Party, joined the Truth Forum student group at a rally on the SNU campus on April 15. They urged the university to remove what they called the propaganda collection of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), claiming that the materials undermine academic freedom and national interests. They presented a petition with more than 2,000 signatures from students and community members.
Speaking at the event, Na warned about the CCP’s “sharp power,” a strategy the regime uses to influence other countries through cultural and academic means, aiming to divide or mislead public opinion in the targeted nation. She noted that the facility, located on the nation’s most prestigious campus, places more emphasis on Xi compared to Korean leaders. She also suggested that the book collection is part of the CCP’s influence operations.
Na called on Seoul to reassess its ties with Beijing based on fairness and national interest.
The university told The Epoch Times on April 15 that it has already removed titles that glorify the CCP, praise Xi, or distort Northeast Asian history; access to these works now requires a special request.
School officials have not yet responded to the demand to close down the room completely.
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Truth Forum members said at the rally that the facility serves the CCP’s United Front strategy, which works to co-opt individuals and organizations worldwide to advance Party interests, silence critics, and steer global narratives.
They also linked Xi’s book collection to the CCP’s “Northeast Project,” a state-led initiative that reinterprets ancient Korean history as part of Chinese heritage to promote a “unified, multi-ethnic” China.
“It’s a historic disgrace for a university that’s supposed to be a beacon of hope,” Truth Forum representative Kim Eun-gu said at the rally, pointing out that keeping the library space open disrespects those who suffer under the Chinese regime.
The “Xi Jinping Collection Room” opened in 2015 at SNU’s central library. Since 2022, the Truth Forum has questioned its purpose, viewing it as more political than academic.
In 2023, under pressure from critics, the university asked China to adjust its donations and pulled 11 overtly pro-CCP works, limiting them to researchers only, according to Chosun Ilbo, citing officials from SNU’s Central Library.
The student group said SNU officials need to do more to address their concerns.
In other countries, including United States, Sweden, and Australia, steps have been taken to close CCP-backed Confucius Institutes at college campuses.
Confucius Institutes have come under increasing scrutiny from U.S. officials for encroaching on academic freedom and facilitating the CCP’s intellectual property theft, leading to a spate of colleges shutting down the program in recent years.
