Sogang University Pays Salary to Professor Sentenced to Imprisonment Without Retirement Processing

Professor A Detained, Paid 65.82 Million KRW Without Suspension of Position
Chairman Participated 28 Times in Professor Hiring Interviews

Sogang University

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Sogang University has been paying salaries to a professor who is in custody without suspending his position, and continued to pay full salary without processing retirement even after a prison sentence was confirmed.

On the 21st, the Ministry of Education announced that it had identified 53 issues during a comprehensive audit of Sogang University conducted in July last year. This was the first comprehensive audit since the university's establishment.

Sogang University paid a salary of 65.82 million KRW from the school fund account to Professor A, who was detained, without suspending his position, and continued to pay full salary and maintain private school staff pension eligibility even after a prison sentence, which is a cause for retirement, was confirmed. The Ministry of Education issued warnings to two individuals including the chairman of the board and gave cautionary measures to two staff members.

Even after the decision to suspend Professor B, who was sentenced to a fine, the board resolution was delayed, resulting in full payment of 21.33 million KRW in salary. The Ministry of Education issued a warning to the chairman of the board regarding this matter.

The Ministry of Education also filed charges regarding the submission of false tax invoices as supporting documents. Six individuals including the chairman of the board were warned for processing donations from donors for scholarships and educational facility construction as income in the corporate account.

The chairman of the board participated in interviews 28 times during the professor recruitment process, and before the president made a recommendation for appointment, the chairman requested the interview procedure three times via official letters. In the process of hiring 11 new staff members, the appointment recommendation procedure was omitted, and the president directly hired the staff and notified the chairman of the hiring results.

The university was also warned for transferring the operating rights of the alumni hall floors 1 to 4 and 11, which are educational basic assets, to the alumni association free of charge without the Ministry of Education's approval. Since 2003, the Sogang University Alumni Association has been engaged in rental business, receiving a total deposit of 2.84 billion KRW and monthly rent of 39.87 million KRW.

Problems were also found in the non-degree program admission process at the Graduate School of C University. The English oral interview, which is stipulated by regulations, was omitted and admission was granted based only on document screening.

Deficiencies were revealed in academic management as well. Records related to assignments and answer sheets for 3,098 courses were not preserved. Nineteen professors who gave grades higher than the maximum grade (B+) allowed for early employment to 21 early-employed students were also given warnings.

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