Among Minor Thesis Authors, 10 Used for College Admission... 5 Including Cho Min Have Admissions Canceled

On the 24th, Pusan National University abruptly canceled the admission of Cho Min, daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, to the medical school. Consequently, Cho Min's medical license will also be revoked, and Korea University is expected to follow Pusan National University, signaling potential repercussions. The photo shows Korea University Seoul Campus on the same day. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

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[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education has confirmed that 10 minors who were listed as co-authors on research papers used these works as materials for university admissions, and among them, 5 had their admissions canceled. Among those included was Cho Min, the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who recently received a cancellation notice from Korea University.

On the 25th, the Ministry of Education announced the results of research ethics verification and follow-up actions on 1,033 cases found during five investigations conducted since 2017 into research works listing minors as co-authors.

Among 1,033 research works published between 2007 and 2018, including papers and conference presentations, 96 works were found to have improperly listed 82 minors as authors. Of these, 223 works listed the minors' own children, while 810 works involved minors who were not their children. The Ministry of Education could not determine whether the non-children minors were relatives.

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Among the 82 minors improperly listed, 46 students enrolled in domestic universities. Of these, 10 used the research works in their university applications, mentioning them in school records or personal statements. Among the remaining 36, 27 did not use the works for admissions, and for 9, the institutions holding the application materials could not verify usage.

Of the 10 students, 5 had their admissions canceled, while 5 maintained their enrollment status. The 5 students with canceled admissions were from Korea University (2 students, 2010 and 2016 academic years), Jeonbuk National University (2 students, 2015 and 2016 academic years), and Kangwon National University (1 student, 2015 academic year). Among them, Cho Min, who was admitted to Korea University in 2010 and later had her admission canceled, was included. Also included was the son of Professor Lee Byungcheon of Seoul National University, who transferred to Kangwon National University.

A Ministry of Education official stated, "The circumstances of admission cancellations vary by admission situation and university. Among the 5 students with canceled admissions, 4 currently have lawsuits pending," adding, "One other student from Korea University is known to have completed medical school; their admission was canceled in April, and a lawsuit is expected. We need to observe the outcome of the lawsuits."

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The other 5 students who maintained their enrollment were at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (2009 academic year), Jeonbuk National University (2014 and 2016 academic years), Inha University (2016 academic year), and Chungnam National University (2016 academic year). Two students at Jeonbuk National University were not prosecuted following a prosecutor's investigation, and the other three were allowed to maintain enrollment because the universities concluded the impact on admissions was minimal. Including the two students with canceled admissions, four students were affiliated with Jeonbuk National University.

Regarding this, a Ministry of Education official explained, "Three students who maintained enrollment had their research works recorded in their student records and submitted papers as admission materials, but each case was different," adding, "There were multiple research works involving four students from Jeonbuk National University participating together."

When asked whether the timing of this announcement was influenced by ministerial confirmation hearings, the official said, "The timing was comprehensively considered based on the use of verification results. We received notification from Korea University about the admission cancellations in mid-April and received official documents regarding the matter," adding, "Although lawsuits are pending for the 10 students whose admission materials were used, we consider the matter practically concluded and judged it appropriate to announce now."

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The Ministry of Education's investigation found 69 faculty members who improperly listed minors as co-authors on papers. By university, Seoul National University had the highest number with 22 cases out of 64, followed by Yonsei University with 10, and Konkuk University and Jeonbuk National University with 8 each.

Among the 69 professors listed as co-authors, only 10 received disciplinary actions. Of these 69 faculty members, 3 received severe disciplinary actions, 7 received moderate disciplinary actions, and 57 received warnings or cautions. Among the 3 who received severe discipline, one was dismissed and two were suspended. Of the 7 who received moderate discipline, 3 were demoted in pay and 4 received reprimands. Two retired faculty members were excluded from disciplinary actions.

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Criticism has arisen that the disciplinary measures are ineffective due to the small number of disciplined individuals and the low severity of punishments. Among the 57 faculty members who received warnings or cautions, 51 had their disciplinary statute of limitations expire.

A Ministry of Education official acknowledged, "It can be seen that the disciplinary measures are weak and that there are many moderate or warning-level sanctions," but explained, "We addressed the statute of limitations issue by extending the disciplinary statute of limitations from 3 years to 10 years starting at the end of 2020 through amendments to the Act on Education Officials."

For the 36 students who enrolled in overseas universities, the Ministry of Education could not take disciplinary action, resulting in what is effectively a 'half-measure.' The official stated, "Overseas universities are beyond our jurisdiction, and legal advice indicated we could not intervene due to personal information protection," adding, "It is also unclear whether acquaintances or relatives were involved."

The Ministry of Education stated that none of the individuals involved in this verification investigation are related to the current ministerial confirmation hearing candidates.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education's research ethics verification was conducted after each university's research ethics committee reviewed and approved research works listing minors as co-authors. Subsequently, 14 government ministries responsible for funding the research and expert advisory committees on research ethics re-examined the cases to confirm the validity of the verification process.

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