Democratic Party "Kim Geon-hee's New York University Credentials May Be False" People Power Party "Firm Response to Fake News" (Summary)

People Power Party "Actually Participate in Training and Receive Certificate"

Democratic Party "Split and Report Like Training Course"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and his spouse Kim Geon-hee are seen leaving their residence in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 15th, heading to her office. 2021.12.15 [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The ruling and opposition parties engaged in a day-long dispute over allegations related to Kim Gun-hee, spouse of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate. On the morning of the 19th, the Democratic Party of Korea raised the possibility that the NYU-related experience listed on Kim's resume submitted when applying for a university professor position might be false. The People Power Party immediately denied this, calling it "malicious fake news" and stating that it was "not true."

The Democratic Party's Election Countermeasures Committee's Task Force for Current Issues Response issued a press release titled "Possibility of False NYU MBA Credentials of Yoon Seok-yeol Candidate's Spouse Kim Gun-hee" on the morning of the same day, revealing that Kim listed on her Anyang University resume "2006 NYU Stern School Entertainment & Media Program" and on Suwon Women's University resume "2006-10 to 2006-11 New York University Entertainment and Media Business Executive Program."

However, after the Democratic Party's election committee confirmed the 2006 NYU academic programs, it was found that the mentioned courses did not exist. They explained, "The program most similar in name to the one Kim listed is the ‘Entertainment, Media and Technology Program’." The committee further pointed out that "this program is part of the formal MBA curriculum, which typically takes two years, and only students who have completed all required courses in the first year can select this as a specialization," noting that given Kim's employment history at the time, it was chronologically impossible.

In response, the People Power Party's election committee strongly denied the claims, stating, "Nowhere on the resume does it say that Kim completed, graduated from, or earned an MBA from NYU." Chief Deputy Spokesperson Choi Ji-hyun commented, "The resume only states that Kim attended the 'NYU Stern School Entertainment & Media Program' and that she actually participated and received a certificate of completion," questioning where the falsehood lies.

According to Chief Deputy Spokesperson Choi, Kim attended the Global Leader Association program at Seoul National University, which included a study abroad component at NYU. He added, "Issuing a press release that falsely portrays Kim as having forged NYU MBA credentials by citing irrelevant precedents is clearly malicious dissemination of false information," and warned, "If the Democratic Party does not immediately apologize and retract the press release, we will firmly respond to their malicious fake news." He even stated that if the fake news is confirmed, Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung should resign.

Subsequently, the Democratic Party issued another statement requesting additional clarification regarding Kim's NYU study experience. The Democratic Party's Election Countermeasures Committee's Task Force for Current Issues Response said, "Kim did not mention Seoul National University when applying to Anyang University, and at Suwon Women's University, she split the Seoul National University and NYU courses to make it appear as two separate training programs," questioning, "Even if the experience is true, is it fair and reasonable for Candidate Yoon to list it this way?"

Meanwhile, on the same day, Candidate Yoon responded to the ruling party's allegations about his spouse by saying, "A lot of the Democratic Party's claims are fake and not true." After attending the 89th anniversary memorial ceremony for Yun Bong-gil at Maebong, Yoon told reporters, "Please judge carefully," and added, "I will not respond to each allegation individually."