Male students at the nursing department of a national university have sexually molested female students and professors in a mobile group chat, an online petition revealed.

The petition on the site of Cheong Wa Dae claimed that the male nursing students should be banned from getting a nursing license because they sexually harassed female students and professors on a KakaoTalk messenger.

The petitioner said the male students opened a group chat room in early 2015. They sexually abused not only female nursing students but female professors, the posting said.

The school found out what happened and opened a sexual abuse prevention committee and a disciplinary committee in October 2015. However, the perpetrators simply wrote an apology letter and got suspended for a short period. The nursing department tried to hush down the case at that time, according to the petitioner.

The suspension against the male students was not severe enough as wanted by the victims, and the offenders are currently receiving nursing courses as juniors and seniors.

One male student, who initiated the sexual abuse, was able to maintain his membership of a student association and recently tried to join a course which the victims chose.

“Juniors and seniors of the nursing department usually receive hospital training to measure patients’ vitals and assist nurses. I’m afraid the male students might sexually molest female patients, nurses, or doctors,” the petitioner said.

The writer of the posting said the male students did not seem to regret their wrongdoings and that it was nonsense for sexual criminals to become nurses who should take care of patients first. “They should not be permitted to have a nursing license,” the petitioner said.

The posting appealed that patients should be protected from sex criminals for safe medical care. “Please help this petition bring a stern measure against the offenders,” it said.

The petition, registered on March 16, has garnered 1,058 signatures as of 12:35 p.m. Monday. If a petition gains more than 200,000 signatures within a month, top presidential aides respond to the appeal.