Kookmin University Professor Demands Formation of Reinvestigation Committee and Disclosure of Meeting Details
Kookmin University Requests Legal Interpretation from Ministry of Government Legislation to Secure Legitimacy of Verification Period
[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] As Kookmin University judged that there is no problem with First Lady Kim Geon-hee's thesis, academia, alumni, and political circles are simultaneously raising issues. Kookmin University is seeking a breakthrough by receiving a judgment from the Ministry of Government Legislation and other methods.
The "Professors Considering the Academic Conscience of Kookmin University" issued a statement on the 7th demanding the formation of a re-investigation committee related to the investigation of Mrs. Kim's thesis and the transparent disclosure of the meeting contents. The professors criticized, "This announcement by Kookmin University greatly deviates from the academic views of ordinary professors on Kim's thesis and the general common sense of the public," adding, "It tarnishes the efforts and sacrifices of professors who have worked to uphold Kookmin University's honor for over 70 years."
The academic community has decided to directly engage in re-verification of the thesis. The "Knowledge Network for Social Reform," which includes about 2,000 domestic and international scholars, decided to examine whether Mrs. Kim's thesis involves plagiarism. It is reported that this organization is also planning condemnation statements or rallies depending on the verification results.
Alumni are also pressuring their alma mater. The "Emergency Countermeasures Committee of Kookmin University Alumni for Urging the Review of Kim Geon-hee's Thesis" stated in a position paper, "It is necessary to verify whether the final report of the re-investigation committee was faithfully judged in the university's final decision or if the political stance of the school authorities prevailed," demanding the disclosure of the list of committee members participating in the re-investigation and the final report. Furthermore, they explained, "It must be clarified whether the stance of the school authorities, wrapped in the scope and universal standards generally accepted in academic fields, contains political intentions."
The political circles are pressuring the president of Kookmin University. Members of the Education Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea plan to visit the school on the 8th to have a meeting with the university president. They have also begun an offensive by comparing the plagiarism controversy of Mrs. Kim's thesis to state manipulation.
Earlier, Kookmin University judged on the 1st, about a year after the preliminary investigation in July last year, that there were no problems with Mrs. Kim's four theses. However, the press release distributed by Kookmin University did not include explanations about who verified the theses, what process was followed, or what criteria were used. Regarding a thesis published in an academic journal that caused controversy for rendering the term ‘회원 유지’ as ‘member yuji’ in the title, the university concluded it was not plagiarism, stating, "Although the completeness and citations are insufficient, it is within the range generally accepted in academic fields."
Kookmin University plans to receive an authoritative interpretation from the Ministry of Government Legislation on whether the regulations that judged Mrs. Kim's theses as exceeding the verification period are problematic. Article 2 of the supplementary provisions of the Kookmin University Research Ethics Committee regulations stipulates that if a report is received after five full years have passed since the misconduct occurred by August 31, 2012, it will not be processed. However, the Ministry of Education has an order not to set a statute of limitations on thesis re-verification, so Kookmin University is asking the Ministry of Government Legislation whether its supplementary provisions conflict with the Ministry of Education's guidelines. If the Ministry of Government Legislation judges there is no problem, Kookmin University will secure the legitimacy of the regulation. Even if another plagiarism controversy arises in the future, if five years have passed, verification will not be required and it will not be an issue.
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