Jomin at the Crossroads of 'Admission Cancellation'... Past Interview Revisited: "I Don't Mind Even If I Graduate High School"

Spouse of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, Professor Jung Kyung-shim of Dongyang University, who was indicted on charges related to children's admission fraud and private equity funds./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Jeong Gyeongshim, a professor at Dongyang University and spouse of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges including admission fraud involving their child and private equity fund suspicions, was sentenced to four years in prison in the appellate trial following the first trial. Amid this, an old interview of their daughter, Cho Min, is being revisited.

In an interview with TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' in October 2019, when asked, "What if you end up with only a high school diploma?" Cho Min said, "It would be really unfair because about ten years of my life would disappear," but added, "I don't mind if I only have a high school diploma, but I cannot bear that my mother would take responsibility for something she did not do because of me."

She further said, "I think it doesn't matter if I only have a high school diploma. I can retake the exam, and if I can't become a doctor at thirty, I think I can at forty."

Currently, Pusan National University and Korea University, where Cho Min graduated, have begun reviewing follow-up measures as Professor Jeong received a guilty verdict up to the second trial.

On the 11th, Pusan National University stated, "Following the appellate court ruling on Professor Jeong Gyeongshim of Dongyang University, the Admission Screening Fairness Committee (Fairness Committee) at Pusan National University plans to review the parts of the ruling related to the submitted documents for admission to the Graduate School of Medicine as soon as the verdict is obtained."

The Fairness Committee will hold a full meeting on the 18th to report the final decision regarding Cho Min's admission fraud suspicions to the university headquarters, and the university headquarters will disclose whether to cancel the admission by the end of August after going through academic administrative review processes.

Korea University also announced that it will begin reviewing follow-up measures regarding Professor Jeong's appellate ruling. Korea University said on the same day, "After obtaining and reviewing the verdict, we will take follow-up actions according to the university's academic operation regulations."

If Korea University decides to cancel Cho Min's admission, it is expected that her admission to Pusan National University's Graduate School of Medicine will also be canceled, as a bachelor's degree is required for admission to the medical graduate school. In this case, the national medical licensing exam that Cho Min passed this year will also be invalidated.

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the appellate court panel for Professor Jeong's case ruled all seven charges related to her child's admission fraud guilty, just as in the first trial.

According to reports, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1-2 (Presiding Judge Eom Sangpil) acknowledged all charges related to Professor Jeong's admission fraud as guilty on that day, stating, "The conclusion of the lower court that all seven career or confirmation documents are false is maintained."

Cho Min's "seven major specs" include ▲ internship confirmation from Seoul National University Public Interest and Human Rights Law Center ▲ certificate of commendation from the president of Dongyang University ▲ assistant researcher activities at Dongyang University Language Institute ▲ internship confirmation from Pusan Aqua Palace Hotel ▲ internship confirmation from Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) ▲ internship confirmation from Kongju National University Biotechnology Research Institute ▲ internship confirmation from Dankook University Medical Science Research Institute.

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