"Cancellation of Admission for Cho Kuk's Daughter is Human Rights Oppression"… Busan National University Condemnation 청원 at Blue House Gains 90,000 Supporters in One Day

Busan National University Decides to Cancel Admission of Cho Kuk's Daughter

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As Pusan National University decided to cancel the admission of Ms. A, the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, to the medical school, a Blue House petition opposing this decision has sparked controversy. The petition received more than 90,000 signatures in just one day.

On the afternoon of the 24th, a post titled "Opposing Pusan National University's Illegal Cancellation of Ms. A's Admission" was uploaded to the Blue House petition board. As of 8:30 a.m. on the 25th, the petition had received about 96,200 signatures.

The petitioner condemned Pusan National University's illegal cancellation decision, saying, "The university ignored Ms. A's basic presumption of innocence," and claimed, "This is a clear human rights violation and unconstitutional."

The petitioner reiterated the "presumption of innocence" principle, explaining, "The accused is presumed innocent until a guilty verdict is finalized," and added, "In criminal procedures, the basic principles for protecting human rights include due process and the presumption of innocence."

Furthermore, the petitioner pointed out that "even a person arrested and detained under current law by investigative authorities is presumed innocent until a guilty verdict is finalized," criticizing Pusan National University for basing its decision on the second trial ruling of Ms. A's mother, Professor Jeong Gyeongshim of Dongyang University.

Finally, the petitioner argued, "Since the final third trial verdict has not yet been concluded, the cancellation decision is invalid based on the presumption of innocence principle," and demanded, "The cancellation decision should be withdrawn and those involved should be punished."

Earlier, Pusan National University held a press conference at the university headquarters and announced, "We have decided on a preliminary administrative disposition to cancel Ms. A's admission to the 2015 medical school." This came about four months after the Pusan National University Admission Fairness Management Committee (Fairness Committee) conducted an internal investigation into Ms. A's alleged fraudulent admission.

This decision is a "preliminary disposition" conducted before the final cancellation of admission, and after hearings and other procedures, the final decision on whether to cancel the admission will be confirmed in two to three months.

The university headquarters explained that it comprehensively reviewed the Fairness Committee's "internal investigation report," Professor Jeong's appellate court ruling, and opinions from relevant departments.

Regarding this, Park Hongwon, Vice President for Education at Pusan National University, stated, "(Although it is not a Supreme Court ruling) I believe that taking administrative action based on the appellate court ruling, which is the final fact-finding trial, does not significantly deviate from respecting the 'presumption of innocence' principle."

Meanwhile, former Minister Cho expressed on Facebook that he feels "painful" about the cancellation of his daughter Ms. A's admission to Pusan National University's 2015 medical school. He added, "I will faithfully explain during the scheduled hearing procedure before the final decision is made."

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