[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A year after the controversy over the 'fake attendance' of KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) specialized research personnel last year, it has been revealed that the discipline in service has not improved at all and, rather, the number of violations has increased.
According to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and the Military Manpower Administration, the number of service violations such as tardiness and unauthorized absences reported to the Military Manpower Administration for KAIST specialized research personnel in the first half of this year totaled 221 cases. This figure far exceeds the 184 violations recorded throughout last year.
Specialized research personnel are part of the science and engineering military service exemption system, where individuals holding a master's degree or higher are recognized for fulfilling their military service by conducting research and development (R&D) at research institutions designated by the Military Manpower Administration.
Although introduced to prevent the outflow of science and engineering talent, last year, allegations arose that KAIST specialized research personnel falsified attendance records and forged their advisors' signatures during post-service processing (such as early leave or outings requiring subsequent approval), sparking controversy.
When such complaints were received by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and the Ministry of Science and ICT, KAIST conducted an internal investigation, which confirmed most of the allegations, resulting in disciplinary actions such as community service and reprimands for the students involved.
KAIST promised to improve service management through system and institutional reforms; however, a year later, violations by specialized personnel have surged.
The school showed a lukewarm attitude toward disclosing the investigation results.
Although the investigation into post-service processing violations was completed in November last year, the results were not disclosed until August, following repeated official requests from the Military Manpower Administration.
In particular, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission concluded that the fact that the school reported 'zero cases' of service violations from 2014 to 2018 suggests that the increase in violations since last year is not due to new misconduct but rather the concealment of previous unauthorized absences.
The Military Manpower Administration plans to request supplementary investigations from the school and, after reviewing the results, take measures such as extending service periods for confirmed violations.
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