Professor Group: "Busan National University Delaying Cancellation of Jo Min's Admission Damages Admission System"

Photo by former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and Professor Jung Kyung-shim couple.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] A professors' group criticized Pusan National University, which is delaying the decision on whether to cancel the admission of Cho Min, daughter of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, saying it is "undermining the fairness and credibility of the admissions system under the pretext of protecting human rights."

The "National Professors' Association for Social Justice (Jeonggyomo)" pointed out in a statement on the 25th, "The person involved in the admissions fraud allegations is Cho Min, not Jeong Gyeong-sim."

They added, "According to the first trial verdict against defendant Jeong Gyeong-sim, Cho Min did not passively submit false certificates created by defendant Jeong Gyeong-sim during the admissions process but actively acted as the main perpetrator of the admissions fraud," stating, "During the process of writing her personal statement herself, she included false information and attached false certificates supporting facts unrelated to her activities to back up those falsehoods. She submitted these documents herself and further actively testified to these facts during the interview stage, as clearly established by the facts."

They continued, "Accordingly, the first trial court stated in its verdict that 'Cho Min’s actions of submitting an application form and personal statement containing false information, along with a forged certificate of commendation from Dongyang University’s president, constitute obstruction of official duties by deception.' The 2015 Pusan National University Graduate School of Medicine admissions guidelines, which Cho Min applied under, clearly state under 'Applicant Precautions' that 'Applicants who submit incomplete documents, false information, altered documents, proxy exams, or fraudulent acts will be disqualified. Furthermore, if fraudulent admission is discovered after enrollment, admission will be canceled, and even after graduation, academic records will be erased.'"

Jeonggyomo stated, "Therefore, Pusan National University should have independently verified whether Cho Min violated the admissions guidelines by submitting false information and whether the various certificates and confirmations attached to her application corresponded to the facts, and based on that, decided whether to cancel her admission. Nevertheless, rather than proactively taking steps to clarify Cho Min’s admissions fraud, hiding behind the final verdict on Jeong Gyeong-sim to protect Cho Min’s right to defense is an act that denies Pusan National University’s very legitimacy as an educational institution," they criticized.

A part of the statement released by the National Professors' Association for Social Justice (Jeonggyomo). Photo by Jeonggyomo website capture

They also said, "If Cho Min’s right to defense is to be respected, the university should form a fact-finding committee and allow Cho Min to sufficiently explain herself in that setting, then make a comprehensive judgment through that process. If Pusan National University blindly follows the erroneous judgment of President Cha Jeong-in, who blatantly reveals political bias by siding with power, and fails to do even this, it will become the target of public outrage and a disgrace to the Republic of Korea," they pointed out.

They further warned, "President Cha Jeong-in personally should be strictly warned that if Cho Min’s medical license is retroactively revoked, she will bear civil and criminal liability from medical consumers who received treatment from an unlicensed practitioner. The prosecution must immediately begin an investigation into Cho Min, and if the investigation is already complete, indict her. We urge the members of Pusan National University, who possess common sense and conscience, to reflect deeply and call for a progressive attitude from the prosecution," they emphasized.