Sookmyung Women's University Students "Launch Signature Campaign Urging Investigation of Kim Geon-hee's Master's Thesis"

"Accepting a Thesis with 48% Plagiarism Rate Damages University Reputation"
Last Month, the Democratic Alumni Association Also Demanded the Establishment of a Research Ethics and Integrity Committee

First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, visited the Spain-Korea Cultural Center in Madrid on June 28 (local time) to attend the K-Fashion exhibition. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Students at Sookmyung Women’s University began a petition campaign on the 1st urging the school to investigate allegations of plagiarism in the master’s thesis of Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol.

The students formed the "Kim Geon-hee Thesis Review Urging Student TF Team" and issued a statement saying, "The school should not judge the essence of this case politically, but as an educational institution and a place of scholarship, it must uphold research ethics."

They posted a large notice on campus titled "Sookmyung as a Place of Truth and Fairness." Through the notice, they stated, "The responsibility to take the lead in uncovering the truth about the plagiarism case and clarifying the position to protect the university’s reputation lies with the school," adding, "Recognizing a master’s thesis with a plagiarism rate of 48% is a betrayal of our alumni who have diligently pursued scholarship and damages the university’s honor."

They are collecting online signatures from current students and alumni. Additionally, during the school festival on the 6th and 7th, they will also collect offline signatures.

Earlier, on the 10th of last month, the Sookmyung Democratic Alumni Association, composed of Sookmyung Women’s University graduates, conducted an independent plagiarism investigation into Kim’s master’s thesis titled "A Study on the Characteristics of Paul Klee’s Paintings," revealing a plagiarism rate ranging from a minimum of 48.1% to a maximum of 54.9%. This was the result of a three-stage thesis comparison process carried out from late July to August 9, mainly by current professors at Sookmyung Women’s University.

The alumni association issued a press release stating, "Maintaining a degree for a thesis with a plagiarism rate exceeding 40% and avoiding plagiarism review is a very serious and grave matter," and demanded the school to "immediately convene the Research Ethics Integrity Committee."

As the plagiarism controversy intensified, Sookmyung Women’s University formed a preliminary investigation committee in February and completed the investigation. However, it has yet to convene the Research Ethics Integrity Committee to decide on the necessity of a full investigation.

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