The election for the 53rd General Student Association (GSA) was held from November 24 to 26. As with last year’s GSA election, only one party registered to run for the GSA. Presidential candidate Kim Gang-eun and vice presidential candidate Jeong Min-su registered under the name “GONG:GAN”. As a result of the current situation caused by COVID-19, this year’s GSA election was held online, and this was the first time this had happened since the establishment of Konkuk University. The campaign and the ballot count also proceeded online. Unlike last year’s GSA election, there was a new event, a presentation of the GSA candidate’s opinions. It was held on November 11, 6:30 p.m. through YouTube live streaming. Following the university’s statute about the GSA election, the single candidate GONG:GAN had to get the approval of over 50 percent of total votes to be elected as the new GSA. The results came out on November 26.

A total of 8,536 (55.3 percent) students had voted. Among them, 7,103 (83.21 percent) students in favor of GONG:GAN and 1,433 (16.79 percent) were against the candidate. Following the results, GONG:GAN was elected as the 53rd GSA of KU.

The presidential campaign period was from November 10 to 23. During this period, leaflets with information about GONG:GAN and their election pledges were posted on the current GSA, “To Twenty” Instagram account. Unlike last year’s GSA election, leaflets were not given out offline because of COVID-19. GONG:GAN’s election pledges are divided into four sections: communication, welfare, policy, and cultural planning. The candidates promised to introduce the GSA appraisal, and to release monthly statement of student union fee accounts to comply with their communication pledges, and to demand an adjustment of tuition fees and scholarships and to introduce an academic information chatbot system for policy pledges. They also promised to create an illegal camera inspection system and expand a coalition for the welfare pledges, and to introduce a school festival coping with COVID-19 as well as a having a diverse campus contest exhibit for cultural planning pledges. The candidates also gathered the students’ opinions through an online survey form. The opinion gathering was opened for five days starting on November 13 and the result was posted on the GSA’s Instagram account.

A public hearing was held at the Prime Hall in Student Union Building A at November 16, 6 p.m. by the KU Media Center. Only the candidates and authorized personnel could
access the public hearing offline. The public hearing was streamed online on YouTube so that everyone could see it. The KU Media Center gathered the questions that the students wanted to ask the candidates through the conducted survey beforehand and delivered them to the GSA candidates at the hearing. Answering the question, the two candidates of
GONG:GAN strongly emphasized “communication” between the GSA and students. GONG:GAN will officially begin its term after the end of the second semester.