Yoon Seok-yeol "What About Lee Jae-myung, Chung Sye-kyun, and Chu Mi-ae?" Expansion of 'Thesis Plagiarism Allegations' Front

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is leaving after paying his respects at the funeral hall of retired Colonel Choi Young-seop, father of former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung, set up at Sinchon Severance Hospital in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on the 8th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] As the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea directly raised allegations of plagiarism in the thesis of Kim Gun-hee, wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, on the 9th, Yoon counterattacked by saying, "Take action first on the thesis plagiarism allegations of ruling party presidential candidates," expanding the front.

Kim Yong-min, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said at the party's Supreme Council meeting that day, "The issue of thesis plagiarism by Yoon's wife Kim is spreading like wildfire," and added, "If there is a criminal act, a swift investigation must be launched." He continued, "We must show the public that even if the husband is a former Prosecutor General, this is not a country where one can escape punishment."

Kim Young-bae, another Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, also said, "A new term 'Yun-ro-nam-bul' has emerged due to Yoon's evasion of responsibility. What kind of absurd statement is it to say that 'universities should autonomously and academically judge the matter'?" He argued, "(Thesis plagiarism) is a criminal act corresponding to copyright infringement and can also constitute obstruction of business."

As the ruling party's offensive continued, Yoon's side issued a statement that day to immediately rebut.

The spokesperson office of Yoon's campaign said in the statement, "The ruling party's presidential candidates and Supreme Council members evaluated the spouse's thesis from 2007, long before marriage, and stated that it is a 'subject of verification,'" adding, "The issue of Kim's thesis should be clarified through an investigation by the relevant university and follow the results."

They continued, "If it is a public party, stricter standards should be applied to the 'thesis plagiarism allegations of prominent ruling party presidential candidates themselves such as Lee Jae-myung, Chung Sye-kyun, and Choo Mi-ae, not their spouses,'" and requested, "Please make a clear statement and take action."

Kookmin University formed a Research Ethics Committee on the 7th and began an investigation into allegations of misconduct regarding Kim's 2008 thesis titled 'Research on Fortune-telling Content Development Using Avatar: Focusing on the Development and Market Application of "Anita".'

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