United Future Party "We Will Oust Park Ji-won"... Focused Attack on Academic Fraud and More

Suspicions Raised Over Forged Academic Records for Transfer to Dankook University
Ha Tae-kyung: "Ruling Party Blocks Witness Adoption"
Park Ji-won Denies "Never Attended Chosun University"
Another Dispute Over Credit Recognition

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The United Future Party is concentrating its efforts to ensure that Park Ji-won, the nominee for the Director of the National Intelligence Service, is dismissed. The party has raised suspicions that Park forged his academic records to transfer to Dankook University by pretending to have attended Chosun University, urging him to voluntarily resign. In response, Park has completely denied the allegations, stating, "I never attended Chosun University," creating a tense atmosphere even before the confirmation hearing.

Ha Tae-kyung, the opposition party's ranking member of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee from the United Future Party, pressured on Facebook on the 23rd, saying, "(The Democratic Party) is blocking the adoption of witnesses from Dankook University and the Ministry of Education, who are essential to investigating the power-related admission corruption case," and added, "Are you not afraid of heaven and the people? I hope you agree to the immediate adoption of witnesses even now."

Ha claimed the academic fraud by Park occurred twice, in 1965 and 2000. He stated, "He was recognized for five semesters when transferring to the Department of Business Administration, College of Law, at Chosun University, which he never attended," and added, "This means he only needed to attend the remaining three semesters, so he initially gained admission to Dankook University through fraudulent means." He also pointed out that Park corrected his alma mater 35 years after transferring, in 2000, ahead of the National Assembly investigation and confirmation hearing related to the Hanbit Bank incident. United Future Party lawmaker Cho Tae-yong said, "Since false documents were submitted, Dankook University should have invalidated the admission," calling it a "power-related corruption."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park immediately rebutted. He stated, "I graduated from Gwangju National University of Education in February 1965 and transferred to Dankook University right away, but due to emergency measures following the June 3 uprising, the university did not open. I started attending lectures from September that year while serving in the military." He continued, "During the National Assembly investigation into the Hanbit Bank incident, opposition party members visited Dankook University and raised issues claiming I transferred with a certificate of enrollment from Chosun University. I clarified that I never attended Chosun University and that I graduated from Gwangju National University of Education from the start, and I protested to Dankook University," adding, "I do not know how the university handled the documents. This is the university’s responsibility, and I have nothing to clarify regarding errors that may have occurred during manual or computerized processing."

Ha responded again to Park’s explanation. Ha said, "There are no business-related major courses at Gwangju National University of Education, so it is impossible that credits for related courses were recognized when transferring to Dankook University," demanding Park disclose the courses he completed at Gwangju National University of Education. Park stated, "Dankook University recognized the 100 credits earned at Gwangju National University of Education as general education credits under the previous university credit recognition system," asserting there were no procedural flaws.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the United Future Party is also expected to launch a full-scale offensive during the government questioning session on economic issues held at the National Assembly that afternoon, focusing on the failure of real estate policies and the administrative capital relocation issue. In particular, they are likely to fiercely demand the resignation of Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, who failed to control housing prices despite 22 real estate policies. On the other hand, the Democratic Party plans to focus its policy questions on the nuclear phase-out policy and the Green New Deal project rather than real estate policies.

Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the United Future Party, criticized at the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd, saying, "If the top economic policy official does not understand the psychology of economic agents, real estate speculation can never be controlled," adding, "That is why yesterday’s statements become today’s lies, and today’s statements inevitably become tomorrow’s lies."

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