"Is Research a Joke?" Persistent 'Public Official Children Thesis' Allegations Spark Graduate Students' Anger

Some graduate students claimed that misconduct is widespread, with professors listing themselves or their acquaintances' children as co-authors on theses. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article / Photo by Yonhap News

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "Even if you work all day and conduct experiments, it's hard to get your name listed as a co-author, so seeing undergraduate students' names on papers just makes me feel disillusioned. Research is not a game."

Kim, a graduate student in his 30s, expressed frustration over allegations that the children of Jeong Ho-young, nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, had their names listed as authors on papers as part of 'spec building' for transfer admissions. Whether any misconduct actually occurred during the paper writing process will have to be seen at Jeong's confirmation hearing, but the very emergence of such controversy is said to dampen the motivation of master's and doctoral candidates.

Since the so-called 'Cho Kuk incident' in 2019, cases where children of high-ranking officials or professors with influence in various sectors of society have been listed as co-authors on papers through improper means are nothing new. Some voices worry that such corruption in the domestic academic community not only lowers researchers' morale but also seriously damages research ethics.

Health and Welfare Minister nominee Jeong Ho-young is arriving at the office set up at the Seoul Northern Regional Headquarters of the National Pension Service in Seodaemun-gu on the morning of the 19th, expressing his position. / Photo by Yonhap News

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The so-called 'dad chance' allegations against nominee Jeong first surfaced on the 13th. According to the office of Kim Won-yi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, Jeong's daughter and son were admitted to the transfer program of Kyungpook National University College of Medicine from 2016 to 2017 while Jeong was serving as Director (Deputy Director) and then Director of Kyungpook National University Hospital. Allegations arose that the two children received unfair special treatment during this process.

Specifically, the daughter allegedly received a perfect score in an oral evaluation at a particular examination room, and the son was suspected of receiving additional points in the transfer admissions by being listed as a co-author on papers alongside master's and doctoral students during his undergraduate years.

The camp of President-elect Yoon stated regarding these controversies, "There must be clear facts of wrongdoing." On the 17th, spokesperson Bae Hyunjin emphasized in a briefing, "We will observe whether nominee Jeong clearly explains whether there was any definite crime or misconduct and whether he can convince the public. Above all, we intend to listen carefully to the people's voices."

Nominee Jeong also directly refuted the allegations. At a press conference that day, he said, "The transfer procedures proceeded with multiple transparent checks and balances," and added, "I request the Ministry of Education to thoroughly investigate the transfer admission process of my children."

Candidate Jeong is explaining allegations related to his children on the 17th at the auditorium of the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

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Regarding the son being listed as a co-author on two KIC (Korea Science Citation Index)-level papers alongside professors and master's and doctoral students, Jeong emphasized, "In the College of Engineering, it is common for undergraduate students to participate in papers," and "This case is not unique."

Given the situation, the truth behind the 'special treatment for children’s transfer admissions' allegations is expected to be a major issue at the National Assembly confirmation hearing. However, some graduate students preparing for master's and doctoral programs are raising their voices, demanding that the allegations be clarified immediately.

Kim said, "It is not uncommon for professors to illegitimately list their children's names as co-authors on papers," and pointed out, "No matter how much they emphasize innocence, it is hard to trust."

Claims have also emerged that such practices are widespread in labs. Graduate student A, who requested anonymity, said, "When I worked as a dispatched worker before, I directly participated in experiments but was not listed as a co-author," and added, "Later, I found out that the order of authorship was predetermined, not based on research contribution. Knowing this, I lost motivation for a while and couldn't focus on experiments."

He continued, "There might be cases where exceptionally talented high school or undergraduate students write papers, but having seen so many patterns of misconduct, I no longer trust it," and urged, "Is it reasonable that papers are used as a gateway for the children of high-ranking officials to advance? The specifics of how the children contributed to the experiments must be disclosed in detail."

This is not the first time controversy has arisen over children of high-ranking officials being listed on papers through 'parental chance.' During the 2019 Cho Kuk incident, former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's daughter was registered as the first author on a paper from Dankook University Medical Science Research Institute, and allegations arose that this was used for admissions, drawing criticism.

There have also been cases where professors at Seoul National University, the top university in Korea, were caught en masse for listing their minor children as co-authors on papers. In October last year, after obtaining the Seoul National University Research Integrity Committee's decision documents, Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Dong-yong's office confirmed that out of 64 papers under review, 22 (34%) were judged as research misconduct. Among these, four papers had the professors' own children listed as co-authors, and five papers had children of fellow professors or acquaintances listed.

Lee, in his 30s, who earned a master's degree and is currently working in research at a company, said, "When working in labs, it is quite common to witness or hear about such misconduct," and pointed out, "It is problematic that students' morale is lowered, but I also doubt whether professors who treat research ethics so lightly will conduct research properly according to regulations."

Experts suggest that researchers, including professors, must strictly adhere to research ethics when involving their own children in research.

The Korea Research Foundation emphasized, "When involving minors or researchers' family members in research and publishing joint papers with them, the participation plans must be thoroughly disclosed to affiliated institutions and co-researchers. Also, information, data, and know-how obtained through their participation should be systematically recorded and stored to prevent controversies over research misconduct in advance."

They also stressed that the paper authorship registration process must be strictly followed. The foundation explained, "There are four essential criteria to be met to become a paper author: contributing to the analysis and interpretation of research data, drafting or critically revising the academic content, giving final approval of the published version, and agreeing to take responsibility for the research. Those who do not meet these conditions, even if they have contributed, should be recorded as contributors or clinical investigators, not as authors."

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