Kim Geun-sik, who wanted to leave Cho Kuk's daughter alone, says "I never thought she would pass the internship... Suspicious hospital and despicable"

"Judged to Fail Due to Poor Grades... Admission Should Be Canceled Immediately"

Professor Kim Geun-sik, Kyungnam University
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Professor Kim Geun-sik of Gyeongnam National University, who had suggested losing interest in Cho Min, the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, regarding her hospital internship application, criticized the news of Cho Min’s acceptance as an intern at Hanil Hospital as "insolent."

On the 8th, Professor Kim posted on his Facebook, saying, "They say 'never say never,' but although internship applications are free, to actually accept her? It’s outrageous," and added, "Cho’s shameless application is problematic, but Hanil Hospital’s shameless acceptance is even more suspicious and insolent."

Professor Kim said, "The reason I suggested leaving Cho Min’s internship job search alone was based on the judgment that a large hospital would not openly accept her, and that her poor grades, as evidenced by her failure at the National Medical Center, would make normal employment impossible," adding, "However, my ordinary common-sense prediction was wrong."

He continued, "While it’s best to avoid opposing her internship application as if live broadcasting it, the fact that an unqualified person was accepted at a major hospital in the heart of Seoul clearly goes beyond suspicions of favoritism and is an overreach by the hospital that does not align with public common sense," and argued, "Given that Cho Min’s fraudulent admission is widely known, Hanil Hospital, which openly accepted her, deserves criticism."

He raised his voice, saying, "They should immediately cancel her acceptance, stop an unqualified doctor from performing medical acts, and alleviate the public’s anxiety about visiting the hospital."

Earlier, on the 4th, Professor Kim stated on his Facebook, "Although I am someone who criticizes Cho Kuk more than anyone, it is not desirable to disclose and criticize every detail of Cho Min’s internship application as if live broadcasting it," and added, "Let’s leave it out of the spotlight."

According to the medical community, Hanil Hospital announced the successful candidates for the first round of the 2021 first half internship recruitment on the 4th.

In that recruitment, the number of planned recruits was three, and there were three applicants. Hanil Hospital stated, "All three applicants were accepted." However, they did not disclose the specific list, saying they notified the successful candidates individually.

Previously, Cho Min, who graduated from Pusan National University School of Medicine, passed the 2021 medical licensing examination last year. She then applied for an internship at the National Medical Center last month but was rejected.

Former Minister Cho Kuk appealed on Facebook on the 3rd regarding the news of his daughter’s internship application, saying, "Recently, it feels like stalking-like media coverage and social ostracism have resumed concerning my daughter’s hospital internship application," and "I hope my daughter can be guaranteed at least the minimum human rights as a citizen."

Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Cheong-rae, who faced suspicion because his wife works as a department head at Hanil Hospital, refuted the allegations on the 7th, saying, "It is true that my wife works at Hanil Hospital. She works as a pharmacist. While my wife, as the head of the pharmacy department, conducts interviews for pharmacists, doctors are selected by doctors themselves. My wife did not know in advance whether Cho applied for the internship or was accepted," he said.

Jeong added, "I salute Cho Min, who gritted her teeth, passed the medical exam, and was accepted as an intern."

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