A former South Korean justice minister and his wife, both university professors, have been charged following an academic misconduct investigation tied to their children’s university applications.
Cho Kuk, the former minister who is a professor at Seoul National University, and Chung Kyung-shim, a Dongyang University professor, were indicted on multiple charges on 31 December, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office confirmed to Times Higher Education.
The charges against Professor Cho, which come after months of investigation into academic misconduct, include bribery, falsifying documents and obstruction of business, the Yonhap news agency reported. Professors Cho and Chung are accused of faking materials for their son’s application to law school and their daughter’s entry to medical school.
Professor Cho resigned as justice minister on 14 October after less than two months in the role. That same day he asked to return as a professor at SNU, which granted his request, The Korea Herald reported. He is listed on the SNU website as a criminal law expert.
The Korea Biomedical Review wrote on 28 December that “medical research ethics [were] tarnished” by the case, which allegedly involved the couple’s then high school-aged daughter being listed as lead author on a Korean Journal of Pathology study, which was later withdrawn.
“The scandal left the medical community with a daunting task of restoring trust in medical research,” The Korea Biomedical Review wrote. “After the scandal, professors at the National Cancer Center were found to have put their children’s names as authors of medical journals in an attempt to unfairly boost their academic credentials. The National Academy of Medicine of Korea released a ‘public statement on medical research ethics’, emphasising the conscience and education of researchers and calling for the medical community to have self-reflection.”
The Korea Times wrote in an opinion piece that it was important “to overcome ideological conflicts between left and right, which culminated in a corruption scandal involving former justice minister Cho Kuk and his family. [President] Moon [Jae-in] should not compromise his anti-corruption drive. He must put actions before words to create a fair and just society.”
A spokesman from the president’s office, speaking to the media, questioned the motivation behind the prosecutor’s probe.
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