In Korea, half-price tuition has been debated as an election pledge. Many people have a concern for scholarships and the student loan system, which are operated by the Korea Student Aid Foundation. Lots of people are paying attention to the tuition issue because it is a heavy burden to many university students. This is not only for Korea. Across the United States, a considerable number of students already joined the Million Student March and have demonstrated for free education, student debt cancellation and a $15 minimum wage for campus workers in more than 100 campuses.
  The Million Student March began with 15 students at Corinthian College. One of the students, Nathan Horne, believed the university’s promise that they would support him and took out a student loan. However, it was difficult to find a job and the interest was getting bigger. Accordingly, he refused the repaying of the debt and campaigned for the abolition of student loan debts. At the end, he wrote off the debt. However, he didn’t stop and demanded the abolition of federal student loan debts. The number of people who participated increased up to 1,300. They sent letters to the government and held various campaigns. Thereupon, the United States Department of Education decided on the cancellation of paying off debts up to 100% in June of last year. However, students should apply for this program by themselves and they have to meet the conditions. Students argued that the abolition of debts should be applied to all students without any condition. The Million Student March was formed after this and has spread across the United States.
  The Million Student March describes on its official website, “Education should be free. The United States is the richest country in the world, yet students have to take on crippling debt in order to get a college education. The average college graduate of the Class of 2015 has over $35,000 in debt. More than 40 million Americans share a total of $1.2 trillion in student debt and 58 percent of that is held by the poorest 25 percent of Americans.”
  They also oppose racial discrimination. In the writing ‘Waging Nonviolence’ written by Ashoka Jegroo on November 13, 2015, Daisy Villalobos, who is one of the organizers of the Million Student March in New York, said, “Our objective here was to ensure that CUNY is free and open to working class communities, primarily black and brown communities. The tuition is far too high, and it’s a form of facial and economic segregation. We want to ensure that an education and upward personal and communal mobility is free and available to everyone.” Another organizer of the Million Student March, Keely Mullen, said in an interview with the US Uncut, “Higher education is in a state of crisis. We need to build a mass movement against the system of corporate higher education.” In fact, Corinthian College, where the Million Student March started, set a high tuition to force students to take on debt by making them take out double loans not only from federal finacing but also from private financing. Moreover, advertised falsely that all graduates would find a job. However, the government found that the rate of getting jobs related to majors in Corinthian College is 0%.
  The Million Student March has been held in over 100 campuses, and a lot of organizational power houses are involved in the organization. They are United States Student Association, the Student Labor Action Project, Socialist Alternative, Unchain Our Schools/People’s Power Assemblies, the Energy Action Coalition, National People’s Action, and others. Moreover, in the United States presidential election, some pledges are related to university tuition. All candidates of the Democratic Party like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Rodham Clinton, brought up tuition pledges. In the Republican Party, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush also have tried to capture student’s hearts with promises related to tuition.

By Shin So-hyeon
sh36@cbnu.ac.kr