Handonghun's Daughter 'MIT Admission Investigation' International Petition... US Korean Community Stirred

Suspicion Raised Over 'Thesis Ghostwriting' and Other Admission Credential Building
"A Warning Sign for the Fairness of University Admission System"

A petition requesting an investigation into the admission process of Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice's daughter, to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States has been posted on the global petition site 'Change.org'.

On the 9th, a post titled "MIT should not become a playground for fraudsters" was uploaded under the name of the Korean-American parent community 'Miju Moms' living in the U.S. on Change.org.

They stated, "Last year, Korean sisters were admitted to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) dental program despite a plagiarism controversy," and "This year, another student who conspired with these sisters was admitted to MIT." The 'Korean sisters' refer to Minister Han's nieces, and the 'another student' refers to Minister Han's daughter.

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is responding to a lawmaker's question during the 3rd plenary session of the 405th National Assembly (extraordinary session) on education, social, and cultural issues held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 5th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

They claimed, "We do not know what materials were included in her MIT application, but it is true that there was an attempt to embellish the resume unethically," adding, "Her admission to MIT is a major warning sign for justice and fairness in today's college admissions system, which is filled with tension and inequality due to manipulation by the privileged class." As of 4 p.m. on the 13th, this petition had received over 20,000 signatures.

During Minister Han's confirmation hearing last year, suspicions arose regarding his daughter Han's involvement. Allegations included that she used 'mom's chance' to build her college application profile by receiving expensive items sponsored by companies and donating them to welfare centers, and suspicions of ghostwriting related to the appearance of a Kenyan ghostwriter's name in the document information of a paper registered on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN).

An international petition requesting reconsideration of the admission of Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice's daughter, to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). / Change screenshot

Regarding the controversy over building his daughter's profile, Minister Han explained at the time, "It was never actually used for admissions, nor is there any plan to use it for admissions."

Change.org, started in the U.S. in 2007, is the world's largest petition site where anyone can post petitions without special verification procedures after signing up and logging in. Signing a petition does not require membership or login; it only requires entering a name and email.

Gathering many petition signatures does not necessarily lead to results. It is literally a petition and has no legal effect. However, similar to the 'Blue House National Petition' implemented during the Moon Jae-in administration, it serves to publicize issues and raise public awareness through citizens' petitions.

Meanwhile, a counter-petition has also appeared in response to the Miju Moms' petition. Posted under the name 'Bester In,' it is titled "Stop the fierce attacks on the Korean politician's daughter’s admission to MIT." As of 4 p.m. on the 13th, this petition had about 400 supporters.

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