"Jomin Passes Medical Licensing Exam, Wants to Tear Off Doctor's Coat"
"Always Check Doctor's Name at Hospital"
Young Adults in Their 20s Say "Disappointed," "Why Did We Hold Candlelight Vigils?" Lament
Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges of instructing the cover-up of private equity fund corruption and the inspection of former Busan Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Yoo Jae-soo, is attending a trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of November 20 last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] News that Cho Min, the daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and Dongyang University professor Jung Kyung-shim, has finally passed the medical licensing examination (national exam) has sparked congratulatory reactions among 'Moonppa' (a derogatory term for people who blindly support President Moon Jae-in), with comments such as "Justice has prevailed" and "Cho Min has confidently proven her ability."
Former Minister Cho Kuk endured a difficult time during the prosecution investigation, and his wife Professor Jung was even imprisoned, but with Cho Min passing the national exam, a kind of celebratory atmosphere has formed.
On the other hand, Lim Hyun-taek, president of the Korean Pediatric Society, and Professor Seo Min of Dankook University College of Medicine's Parasitology Department criticized the news of Cho Min's passing the national exam. Among some university students in their 20s, there were lamentations such as "Is this a country?", "This is really unfair," and "This is a truly frustrating reality."
Earlier, on December 23 last year, the first trial court (Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25-2, presided by Judge Lim Jeong-yeop), which heard the case of Professor Jung's admission fraud, found that Cho Min submitted seven false certificates of experience for medical graduate school admission and sentenced Professor Jung to four years in prison and a fine of 500 million won.
The court recognized as guilty the so-called 'seven major false credentials' claimed by the prosecution, including △ false experience as an intern and first author of a paper at Dankook University by Cho Min, △ false experience as an intern and third author of a paper at Kongju National University, △ forgery of the Dongyang University president's certificate of commendation, △ false experience as a research assistant at Dongyang University, △ false experience as an intern at Seoul National University Public Interest and Human Rights Law Center, and △ false experience as an intern at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).
The court judged that "Professor Jung played a leading role in submitting false self-introduction letters and supporting documents when her daughter applied to Seoul National University and Pusan National University medical graduate schools, thereby obstructing the work of evaluators who wanted to select talents through fair procedures."
Furthermore, the court stated, "With the intention of making her daughter appear more capable than other applicants, she obtained internship certificates containing false information from acquaintances and later committed forgery crimes by receiving certificates of commendation for volunteer work she did not perform," adding, "Considering the increasingly specific and bold methods of the crimes, the nature of the offenses is very bad."
Jung Kyung-shim, wife of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who was indicted on charges including admission corruption involving their children and suspicions of private equity fund investments, is attending the first trial sentencing hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of December 23 last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]
◆ "Tearful and admirable" vs. "I want to tear up the medical license and white coat" - 20s also 'furious'
However, on a pro-government online community, posts celebrating Cho Min's final passing of the national exam with comments like "She confidently proved her ability" continued. One supporter expressed an emotional reaction, saying, "Congratulations to Cho Min on passing the medical licensing examination."
Another supporter said, "Even though she suffered so much humiliation from the deep-rooted evils, she did not give up and passed the exam with pride. It's tearful and admirable," adding, "Truly, like parent, like child~ Congratulations." Another supporter also congratulated Cho Min on passing the national exam.
Meanwhile, experts voiced criticism, pointing out that fairness and equity have all collapsed.
Lim Hyun-taek, president of the Korean Pediatric Society, posted a statement on his Facebook on the 16th, saying, "Due to the lukewarm and inequitable response from the Minister of Education, the president of Pusan National University, and the dean of Pusan National University College of Medicine, an unqualified person who entered medical school through fraudulent admission is now wearing a white coat," and criticized, "I am so angry and dismayed that I want to tear up the medical license and white coat."
Lim stated, "On December 23, 2020, the judiciary ruled guilty with numerous grounds that Cho Min's mother, Jung Kyung-shim (Dongyang University professor), fraudulently admitted her daughter to Korea University and Pusan National University College of Medicine."
He then listed cases of admission cancellations, saying, "In 2016, the Ministry of Education canceled Jung Yura's admission to Ewha Womans University before trial based solely on its own audit results," and "In 2019, the Ministry of Education and Seoul National University immediately canceled the admission of a fraudulent entrant who entered the dental school with credentials fabricated by her mother, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University College of Pharmacy, as soon as she was indicted."
Lim said, "Today, 130,000 doctors and medical students are so angry and dismayed that they want to tear up the medical license and white coat over the situation where an unqualified person who fraudulently entered medical school is wearing a white coat and pretending to be a doctor, endangering patients' lives."
Lim questioned, "Where has justice, fairness, and equality in our society gone?" and demanded, "The president and dean of Pusan National University and Korea University have tarnished their schools' reputations and are nothing but criminals and accomplices who violated important values such as justice, fairness, and equality in our society," calling for their resignation. He also urged, "Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye, who is in charge of the nation's future education administration despite insufficient ability, should step down from her undeserved position."
◆ Seo Min: "Check the doctor's name when you go to the hospital"
Professor Seo Min of Dankook University College of Medicine also called Cho Min the 'Grim Reaper' on the 16th and urged, "Be sure to check the doctor's name when you go to the hospital."
On the same day, Professor Seo posted on his blog an article titled "Ta-da. The Grim Reaper Cho X (referring to former Minister Cho Kuk's daughter) is coming," explaining, "There are many older students in medical schools. It may be because studying is difficult, but a more important reason is that there are many latecomers who realize their dream of becoming a doctor late," and added, "Once you obtain a medical license, it lasts a lifetime," and "Even if you misdiagnose and cause death, it's the same."
Professor Seo introduced, "The person who killed the most people in Korea was Officer Woo." In April 1982, Woo Beom-gon, a police officer at Uiryeong County Police Station in Gyeongsangnam-do, fired his gun after an argument with his cohabitant, killing 62 people and injuring 33. He added, "If one doctor intentionally misdiagnoses, they can easily surpass (Officer Woo's) record."
Professor Seo claimed, "However, a talent who can surpass Officer Woo's record has entered the medical market in Korea," and "That name is Cho X (referring to former Minister Cho Kuk's daughter)."
He explained the trial results of Professor Jung Kyung-shim, wife of former Minister Cho and mother of Cho Min, saying, "The question of how such a foolish person entered the medical graduate school was later resolved."
The news of Cho Min's passing the national exam also became a topic among some university students in their 20s. Kim, a university student in his 20s attending a university in Seoul, lamented, "We held candlelight vigils saying fairness was broken, but this is the reality," and expressed frustration, saying, "How can we talk about fairness in such a society? Is this even a country?"
Another student, Lee, briefly said, "Didn't the court generally rule guilty regarding Cho's admission process? I expect the Supreme Court to issue the same ruling."
Meanwhile, there is a possibility that Cho Min's medical license could be revoked. According to Article 5 of the Medical Service Act, the qualification for obtaining a medical license is 'graduates of medical schools or medical graduate schools,' so if Cho Min's admission is canceled in the future, her graduation could also be invalidated, rendering her medical license void. Pusan National University College of Medicine, where Cho Min is currently about to graduate, has stated that it will decide on the cancellation of admission after the Supreme Court's judgment.
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