Allegations of political pressure, a backdoor agreement and venomous accusations over the top post of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science are tainting the reputation of the nation’s top science and engineering university.

Its controversial president Suh Nam-pyo is under growing pressure to quit early from all sides in and out of the school. He has been at odds with rank-and-file professors, the student association, the board of directors and the government due to his drive for radical reforms.

The school board is set to convene Thursday to discuss whether to fire the president.

Suh last week announced that he would resign in March and until then would actively engage in selecting his successor. His term originally was to expire in July 2014.

At a news conference, he accused board chairman Oh Myung of putting pressure on him, claiming President Lee Myung-bak wanted him out. Oh said he was misunderstood.

Observers say Suh may have to leave earlier than March if the 16-member board votes to end his contract prematurely. The meeting was reportedly called by chairman Oh.

In that case, he would have to leave after three months’ notice and the school would have to pay his remaining salary worth about 800 million ($720,000).

Immediately after his press conference, the board disclosed a “secret agreement” signed between him and Oh on July 20. In the under-the-table accord, Suh promised to resign on Oct. 20.

The board criticized him for not implementing it. Suh, however, insists that the agreement is no longer valid, claiming Oh first broke his promises, including cooperation in mending his damaged reputation and selecting his successor.

During a parliamentary educational committee Friday, both ruling and opposition lawmakers called on him to resign immediately. They said Suh is seeking to earn time until President Lee’s term ends in late February and exert his influence on the selection of his successor.

It is not clear whether the board will vote against Suh.

“We haven’t decided anything yet,” a board member, who declined to be named, told The Korea Herald.

“But some of us have been quite unhappy with his leadership. He held a news conference announcing his resignation without any notice to the board,” he added.

“He may have brought some fresh reform ideas from MIT, but he certainly showed a lack of leadership through the whole thing.”

The 77-year-old former MIT professor first took the helm of KAIST in 2006 and secured his second four-year term in July 2010.

He has met strong resistance from students and professors due to a number of his measures including tightening rules for the tenure of professors and cancelling scholarship for under-performing students.

He has also been engaged in disputes with some KAIST professors over the ownership of patents for the schools’ flagship research on a “mobile harbor system” and electric cars.

The professor’s association and student council have been demanding Suh’s immediate resignation.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)