Conflicting Testimonies Between Princess University Professors and Students... Verification of Jeong Gyeong-shim's Daughter's Activities Deemed 'False'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] A former graduate student A from Kongju National University, who appeared as a witness in the trial of Professor Jeong Gyeong-shim of Dongyang University, testified that "Professor Jeong's daughter, Cho Min, contributed to a certain extent in preparing conference materials." At the 10th hearing of Professor Jeong held on the 22nd under the Criminal Division 25-2 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lim Jeong-yeop), A said, "Cho came to the lab and helped with experiments." This testimony somewhat differed from the prosecution's charges.

The prosecution's charges stated in the indictment regarding this part are that Cho Min did not practically participate in research or experiments related to algae cultivation at Kongju National University, nor was she involved in preparing posters or abstracts, yet she was listed as the third author. Furthermore, Professor Jeong requested the university to issue false activity verification certificates reflecting this on Cho's school records.

On the other hand, Professor Kim, A's advisor, gave testimony largely consistent with the prosecution's charges. He said, "Cho did come to the lab, but she did not substantially contribute to research or preparation of conference materials." Regarding the four activity verification certificates he issued, he testified that "the timing and content differ significantly from the facts." Professor Kim also expressed, "I feel ashamed for having carelessly issued the certificates."

◆Graduate Student: "Cho Min helped with research... Contribution to poster about 1-5%" = In the morning session, graduate student A appeared as a witness. A is the first author of the poster and abstract on which Cho was listed as the third author. A also personally wrote the poster and paper and presented them at an international conference held in Japan in August 2009.

A testified that "at the suggestion of Professor Kim, who was the supervising professor, I directly listed Cho as the third author on the poster and abstract." This was in March 2009, when A had no acquaintance with Cho. A explained, "It was not about being listed as an author on a paper or academic publication, but simply having the name on the poster and as a presenter, so I did not think it would be a big issue."

A first met Cho in the lab around May to June of that year, after sending the abstract to the Japanese conference. Cho reportedly came to the lab on weekends and helped A by changing the water in an aquarium containing red algae. A testified, "Changing aquarium water is a fundamental and foundational task for the experiment," and "Cho helped with this."

A said, "The Japanese conference abstract was written based only on experimental results up to March 2009, so Cho had no contribution then," but added, "I personally believe Cho contributed to the work she did after that." He further stated, "Cho's contribution during the poster preparation process was about 1-5%." When asked if he had ever heard that people with low contribution should not be listed as co-authors on posters, A answered, "No."

A also testified that Cho attended the international conference held in Japan that year. He said, "When presenting the poster at the conference, Cho helped with interpretation," and "When I couldn't recall English words, I asked her, and she told me." When asked if Cho was beside him during the two-hour presentation, he replied, "Yes."

However, A testified that "I never had meals with Cho or discussed the presentation content." Although he explained the experiment to Cho before leaving for Japan after completing the poster, there were no further conversations related to the experiment or presentation. A added, "I have not met Cho since returning from the conference."

The prosecution conducting a search and seizure at Kongju National University last year in relation to Cho Min, the daughter of Professor Jeong Gyeongshim, during her third year internship at Hankyeong Foreign Language High School.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆Supervising Professor: "Certificates issued as Professor Jeong requested" = In the afternoon session, Professor Kim, A's advisor, appeared as a witness. Professor Kim is a university classmate of Professor Jeong and issued four activity verification certificates for Cho at Professor Jeong's request.

Professor Kim said the certificates he issued "differ significantly from the facts." For example, the first certificate submitted as evidence for Cho's medical school admission to Seoul National University stated that Cho participated in gifted education courses on biotechnology theory and experimental methods from July 2007 to February 2008.

However, Professor Kim testified during the prosecution's investigation that "I first met Cho with Professor Jeong in July 2008." He also admitted in court that "the certificate indicating activities one year before meeting Cho is clearly false." He said, "I issued the certificates in August 2009, and my memory was vague, so I wrote the dates loosely," and added, "I was negligent."

Professor Kim also testified that the second certificate submitted for Cho's Seoul National University medical school admission was "not true." This certificate stated that Cho conducted algae cultivation and basic experiments as an intern from March 2008 to February 2009 and achieved remarkable results. However, Professor Kim said, "I wrote it too favorably," and expressed shame. When asked if it was true that Cho had never been to the lab before February 2009, as testified by A in the morning session, he answered, "Yes." Both the timing and content were fabricated.

Regarding the third and fourth certificates, Professor Kim gave similar answers. The third certificate, stating that Cho prepared algae cultivation and conference presentation materials as an intern from March to August 2009, was false. He said, "I only saw Cho sitting in front of a microscope in the lab, and even the graduate students in the lab did not know what activities she did," and "The claim that she prepared conference presentation materials is untrue." About the fourth certificate related to attending the international conference in Japan in August 2009, he said, "I only remember Cho standing during the poster presentation," and "I don't think she actually contributed."

When asked by the prosecution why he created false documents, Professor Kim replied, "Honestly, I didn't know how to write activity verification certificates for high school," and "Professor Jeong told me to adjust the periods according to each semester and write the activity details." Professor Jeong used these certificates for Cho's university and medical school admissions. The prosecution regards this as "false internship experience" and applied charges of obstruction of business.

◆Cho Min is the first high school student to be listed as a paper author = After the prosecution and defense finished questioning Professor Kim, the court asked further questions. The court asked if Professor Kim had issued similar certificates or listed other students as authors on abstracts.

Professor Kim said, "I have received requests from students, but I have never issued activity certificates, and regarding papers, if someone just 'tags along,' it causes disputes, so a person must contribute ideas or work to be listed as an author." When asked if Cho Min was the only high school student listed as an author, he answered, "Yes."

When the court asked if he had instructed Cho to change the aquarium water, referencing A's testimony, Professor Kim said, "I did not instruct her; A did it on his own." Regarding the court's question about whether A would know better about Cho's role at the Japanese international conference, he replied, "Yes."

After all questioning, the court gave Professor Kim an opportunity to freely express his feelings. He said, "I deeply regret it," and "I should have been more rigorous when issuing the certificates, but I was weak-hearted, and as a result, they were used for university admissions and ruined that student (Cho Min)."

The court plans to conduct witness questioning of Professor Jang from Dankook University Medical School, who listed Cho as the first author on a paper, at the trial on the 29th. Graduate student B from the same university will also appear as a witness that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.