Jeong Cheong-rae Urges "Ministry of Education to Take Strong Action" on Jo Min's Korea University Admission Cancellation Review

Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, has called for the Ministry of Education to intervene regarding reports that Korea University is considering canceling the admission of Cho Min, the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk.
/Photo by Jeong, member's Facebook capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asserted that "the Ministry of Education should respond strongly" regarding reports that Korea University, where Cho Min, the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, was admitted, is considering canceling her admission.

On the 19th, Jeong shared details from the National Assembly Education Committee on his Facebook post and made this statement.

According to Jeong’s post, during the Education Committee meeting that day, he said, "According to media reports, it is stated that 'Korea University is reviewing the judgment document on Cho Min’s fraudulent admission.' So, I obtained and reviewed the judgment document, but there is no content related to Korea University’s admission. Although the prosecution conducted a document seizure and search, they could not secure the materials, and according to Korea University’s regulations, the documents were discarded after the retention period expired, so they were lost," and questioned, "Korea University has no grounds, data, or materials. Then, are they going to review this based on a special law?"

He then asked Yoo Eun-hye, Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs, "It seems that some conservative professors at Korea University are raising this issue, but if Korea University commits such an act without any materials or grounds, how will the Ministry of Education respond?"

Minister Yoo replied, "Regarding what you mentioned, we also believe that we must judge based on the judgment document and the administrative procedures, principles, and standards we have set."

Jeong compared Cho Min to the son of former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won, saying, "In the case of Cho Min, she met all the eligibility requirements such as TEPS, TOEIC, and TOEFL, and there were no defects. According to admissions experts, she even applied with a downward stable option."

He added, "The Research Ethics Committee submitted to the court that Cho Min had no issues, and despite the existence of a video showing her attending a seminar, it is regrettable that such a judgment was made. The fact that such issues (related to Korea University admission) keep appearing in articles is a highly malicious public opinion campaign," and requested, "The Ministry of Education has the duty to supervise universities. Please strongly intervene."

Previously, Cho Min was admitted to the Department of Environmental Ecology Engineering at Korea University in 2010. She later entered the Medical School at Pusan National University in 2015, passed the national medical licensing exam in January, and is currently working as an intern at a hospital in Seoul.

On the 11th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1-2 (Chief Judge Eom Sang-pil) sentenced Cho Min’s mother, Professor Jeong Gyeong-shim of Dongyang University, to four years in prison and a fine of 50 million KRW, ordering the confiscation of 10.61 million KRW, in the appeal trial for charges including child admission fraud (obstruction of business).

The court judged that all seven major credentials used by Cho Min for admission were false. Unlike the Pusan National University Medical School case, the Korea University admission fraud was not directly addressed in Professor Jeong’s trial because the statute of limitations had expired.

However, the first trial court judged that Cho Min used a false internship certificate from Dankook University Medical Science Research Institute and a paper where she was listed as the first author for Korea University admission.

In response, Korea University stated that after securing and reviewing Jeong’s judgment document, it will proceed with follow-up measures such as forming an Admission Cancellation Review Committee.

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