The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Dismisses Administrative Appeal Against Jowon Tae's 'Degree Cancellation'... Will He Become a High School Graduate?

On the last day of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting on the 3rd, Cho Won-tae, Chairman of Hanjin Group and CEO of Korean Air, is answering questions from the press at a Korean Air press conference held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has ruled that there is no issue with the Ministry of Education's decision to cancel both the transfer admission and graduation of Cho Won-tae, Chairman of Hanjin Group, from Inha University.

According to the Ministry of Education on the 16th, the Central Administrative Appeals Commission under the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission dismissed the administrative appeal filed by Jeongseok Inha Academy, the corporation of Inha University, against the Ministry of Education's decision to revoke Chairman Cho's bachelor's degree on the 14th.

Previously, Inha University filed an administrative appeal against the Ministry of Education in January last year, refusing to accept the Ministry's notification in 2018 that concluded Chairman Cho had transferred to Inha University through fraudulent means and ordered the cancellation of both his transfer admission and graduation.

Regarding the decision of the Central Administrative Appeals Commission, Inha University stated, "The transfer admission process was handled according to the regulations at the time, and it was judged to have followed proper procedures through a Ministry of Education audit in 1998," adding, "Ordering the cancellation of the transfer admission now, more than 20 years later, without reasonable grounds, violates the principle of ne bis in idem."

Inha University also indicated the possibility of filing an administrative lawsuit, stating, "The Ministry of Education's corrective order is illegal, and the appeal result is also unfair. We will seek a judicial ruling."

The Ministry of Education had previously notified Inha University to revoke the degree, stating that although Chairman Cho was not qualified to transfer into the third year at Inha University in 1998, the school approved his transfer.

Before transferring, Chairman Cho attended a two-year American college equivalent to a junior college in Korea. The Ministry of Education judged that the credits and grades he earned at the American college did not meet the qualifications required for transfer admission to Inha University. Furthermore, the Ministry found that when Chairman Cho graduated from Inha University in 2003, he had not earned the necessary credits to obtain a bachelor's degree.