"Are All Professors at Ewha Like That?" "Female Joguk" vs "Overseas Academic Practices"

April 4 Hearing for Im Hye-sook, Minister of Science and ICT, Sparks Ruling and Opposition Party Clash

Minister of Science and ICT nominee Im Hye-sook is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 4th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] On the morning of the 4th, during the confirmation hearing for Im Hye-sook, the nominee for Minister of Science and ICT, held by the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, allegations of 'extravagant overseas trips' were heavily discussed.

Park Sung-joong, the opposition party's secretary from the People Power Party, raised suspicions during a procedural statement that Im, while serving as a professor at Ewha Womans University, took multiple overseas academic conference trips accompanied by her spouse and children, effectively allowing them to 'ride for free.' He urged her to resign immediately instead of facing embarrassment at the confirmation hearing. He said, "I was truly shocked by the idea that it is natural to bring family members on official business trips," and questioned, "Do all Ewha Womans University professors consider it normal to bring their families along to conferences?"

Park Dae-chul, also from the People Power Party, criticized, "From smuggling to theft to tax evasion, these are not detainees waiting in jail cells, yet the nominees for ministers of the Republic of Korea offer no sincere apologies, only forced excuses," and launched a fierce attack on Im. He said, "The phrase 'the most controversial' is being attached to her name. Comments say she is the 'female Cho Kuk.' Stop accelerating the lame-duck period at the end of the administration and decide your own course of action."

Park also mentioned that Im was a member of the Democratic Party when she applied for the position of Chairperson of the National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST) last November, stating, "I thought it was colorless and odorless, but it is blue and scented. Do you admit that you were not qualified to apply? If you are admitted fraudulently, the admission is canceled altogether." Regarding the extravagant overseas trip allegations, he pointed out, "If she booked one room and stayed with her family, that is a free ride."

In response, Im explained, "I inquired with NST before applying and was told there was no problem. I am considering that there might be an issue with the application announcement." Regarding the extravagant overseas trip allegations, she apologized, saying, "There were points where I was not thoughtful," but defended herself by stating, "Other expenses, including airfare, were paid out of pocket."

On the other hand, ruling party lawmakers defended Im. Woo Sang-ho of the Democratic Party pointed out regarding the 'unqualified appointment' controversy, "If she held a party position, that would be one thing, but disqualifying her simply because she was a party member is problematic." Regarding the controversy over attending overseas conferences with family members, Woo criticized Park Sung-joong's remark, "Do all Ewha Womans University professors do that?" as "inappropriate." He said, "Overseas, it is common practice to send invitations with a note allowing family accompaniment," and added, "From the public's perspective, the nominee's position is that there is no issue with families misappropriating costs borne by institutions or academia. It is true that in our country, there is still a somewhat unfavorable sentiment, so she should speak humbly."

Yoon Young-chan, also from the Democratic Party, asked, "How often do families accompany researchers at global conferences in academia or engineering fields?" prompting Im to respond, "Quite often. It is frequently done to encourage researcher participation." Yoon then defended her by saying, "Overseas, organizers seem to encourage researchers' participation, but domestically, there is a tendency to look down on it. This can be seen as a cultural difference."

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