Education Committee, 'Kim Geon-hee Hearing' Dispute... "Thesis Plagiarism Verification" vs "Political Offensive"

Minju: "Allegations of Plagiarism in Kim Geon-hee's Thesis Must Be Clearly Revealed"
People Power Party: "Difficult to Accept... Former Minister Cho Kuk's Admission Fraud Is a Bigger Issue"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 16th, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over whether to hold a hearing regarding allegations of plagiarism in First Lady Kim Geon-hee's thesis during the full meeting of the National Assembly's Education Committee. The Democratic Party of Korea demanded the holding of a hearing, holding key witnesses accountable who had avoided attendance during the previous national audit, while the People Power Party stated that it was a political attack and refused to accept it.

On the same day, Kim Young-ho, the opposition party secretary of the National Assembly's Education Committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a speech, "I urge the holding of a hearing under Article 65 of the National Assembly Act to clearly reveal the allegations of plagiarism in First Lady Kim Geon-hee's thesis to the public."

Kim said, "The entire nation is watching. We must not drive a nail into the hearts of countless university students and youth who speak of fairness and common sense and desire justice, even within our Education Committee." He pointed out that strict accountability should be demanded under the National Assembly Act for the key witnesses related to 'Kim Geon-hee's thesis' who avoided attendance during last year's national audit.

Kim added, "Officials from Kookmin University, Sookmyung Women's University, and others may have thought it was easy to just endure the comprehensive audit for one day, but that was a big miscalculation." He continued, "Chairman Yoo Ki-hong also pointed out during the last audit the attempts by witnesses and the Ministry of Education to undermine the audit. I ask that strict accountability be demanded under the National Assembly Act for Kookmin University, Sookmyung Women's University, and all related officials in the Ministry of Education who seriously damaged the authority entrusted to the National Assembly by the people by failing to attend without acceptable reasons and not submitting materials."

However, the People Power Party rebutted that they could not accept the Democratic Party's call for a 'Kim Geon-hee hearing.' On the same day, Lee Tae-gyu, the ruling party secretary and member of the People Power Party, said, "From the ruling party's standpoint, it is difficult to accept the holding of a hearing on Kim Geon-hee."

Lee emphasized, "Regarding First Lady Kim, the prosecution thoroughly investigated for two years during the Moon Jae-in administration. There is no evidence, yet they keep talking as if there is something." He added, "I think our ruling party cooperated a lot during the last national audit."

Lee said, "Didn't we call all the witnesses and conduct sufficient questioning then? Regardless of that, the Democratic Party had already concluded long ago that 'Kim Geon-hee's thesis is plagiarism.' Since they have already stated it is plagiarism, calling for another hearing on this is an excessive political attack," he criticized.

Kim Byung-wook, a member of the same party, supported Lee's criticism of 'political attack,' saying, "Even though former Minister Cho Kuk's admission fraud was bigger, the People Power Party did not call for a hearing."

Yoo Ki-hong, chairman of the committee from the Democratic Party, said, "Regarding the parts where witnesses violated the National Assembly Act, I stated during the last national audit that I would definitely hold them accountable whether it was absence or failure to submit materials. This issue can be approached from various perspectives, including political ones, but I will once again request consultation between the ruling and opposition party secretaries on how to handle this matter according to the National Assembly Act."

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