'Reminiscent of the Cho Kuk Scandal' Jung Ho-young, Child's 'Dad Chance' Allegations Spread Widely

Jung Ho-young's Son and Daughter Volunteer at Kyungpook National University Hospital Before Transferring to Medical School
Democrats Pressure Saying "Verify with the Same Standards" While Mentioning Cho Kuk
Jung Ho-young Denies Allegations Saying "No Special Treatment, Will Not Resign"
Yoon-Elected Team States "Showing Confidence to Explain"

Health and Welfare Minister nominee Jeong Ho-young is arriving at the personnel hearing preparation office set up at the Seoul Northern Regional Headquarters of the National Pension Service in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 15th. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Jeong Ho-young, the nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, has become the center of controversy following a column dispute and allegations of using 'dad's chance' for his two children's medical school transfer admissions. In particular, criticism has arisen that the suspicions related to his children evoke memories of the former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's scandal, amplifying the impact. President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's camp has expressed confidence in Jeong's ability to clarify the allegations and stated they will observe the situation.

The allegations against Jeong concern whether his influence played a role in his daughter and son being admitted to the medical school at Kyungpook National University (KNU) through transfer admissions. According to the office of Kim Won-yi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 13th, Jeong's daughter and son were admitted to KNU Medical School transfer admissions in 2016 and 2017, respectively, while Jeong was serving as the Director (Vice President) and then President of Kyungpook National University Hospital.

The daughter was admitted in December 2016 through the '2017 Academic Year KNU Medical School Bachelor Transfer Admission,' during which Jeong was the Director, and the son was admitted through the '2018 Academic Year KNU Medical School Bachelor Transfer Admission' special track after Jeong became President in 2017.

◆ Nominee Jeong Ho-young's Medical School Transfer Allegations ... Refutes by Disclosing Children's Grades

The special track was newly established in the 2018 academic year and only allowed applicants from high schools or universities located in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. The son graduated from KNU's Department of Electronic Engineering and was the only KNU student among the 17 admitted through the special track. The other admitted students were from Seoul National University, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Ewha Womans University, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Both children listed volunteer work at KNU Hospital before their transfer admissions in their application documents. The daughter noted volunteering in January and July 2016, and the son in January 2015, and January and July 2016.

According to KNU Medical School transfer admission guidelines, out of a total of 500 points in the first stage, 200 points are allocated to document screening, which includes volunteer activity scores. The years 2015-2016, when the children volunteered at KNU Hospital, were also when Jeong served as Director of KNU Hospital.

The nomination preparation team explained regarding the volunteer work, "Applications were made through the hospital's social work office," adding, "Anyone wishing to volunteer at KNU Hospital can apply at any time. Unless it is a very short-term application (one day), all applicants are given volunteer opportunities."

It was also confirmed that the son participated as a co-author in two papers indexed in the Korean Citation Index (KCI) between August 2015 and August 2016, during his enrollment and shortly after graduation from KNU's Department of Electronic Engineering.

The preparation team stated that in the KNU Medical School transfer admission process, three times the number of available spots were selected based on the sum of first-stage scores: academic grades (200 points), official English test scores (100 points), and document screening (200 points). In the second stage, candidates were evaluated out of 800 points by adding interview (100 points) and oral examination (200 points) scores to the first-stage scores.

The second stage consisted of individual interviews, with evaluators randomly assigned, and the first and second stage evaluators were different, making it "difficult to provide benefits to any specific individual," they claimed.

According to the preparation team, there were 52 evaluators in 2017 and 55 in 2018, composed of approximately 30% clinical professors and 70% basic medical science professors such as biochemistry. Qualitative elements like interviews were limited to within 40% of the total score.

The son, who transferred to KNU Medical School through the special track for Daegu and Gyeongbuk natives after graduating from KNU's Department of Electronic Engineering, ranked 2nd among 17 admitted candidates in academic grades (average 96.90/100), 3rd in English score (TEPS 881), and 6th in document screening in the first stage.

In the second stage, he ranked 8th in interview scores and 10th in oral examination, finishing 7th overall among 17 candidates. The preparation team emphasized, "Compared to the moderate individual interview scores, the combined academic and English scores were the highest among the 17 admitted candidates, indicating higher academic achievement than others."

The son's participation as a co-author in two KCI-indexed papers during his undergraduate years has also sparked controversy. He was the only undergraduate among the authors of a paper published by the Electronics Engineering Society during his senior year. He introduced this research participation as a major achievement in his transfer application documents.

◆ "Thorough Investigation of Transfer-Related Allegations" Explanation by Hong Won-hwa, President of Kyungpook National University

Regarding this, Hong Won-hwa (59), President of KNU, denied all allegations related to the siblings' consecutive bachelor transfer admissions to KNU Medical School in 2017 and 2018 while Jeong held a senior position at KNU Hospital, in an interview with JoongAng Ilbo on the 15th.

He said, "We thoroughly investigated the allegations related to the transfer. If there had been any wrongdoing, the president himself would have taken stronger action to reveal it," he stated.

Regarding the authenticity of the two papers the son was listed as a researcher during his undergraduate years, Hong said, "The authenticity of the papers was confirmed by the lab and the professor involved." However, concerning the volunteer work at KNU Hospital in 2015 and 2016, he said, "The authenticity of the volunteer work claimed to have been done at KNU Hospital is still under verification."

The daughter, who graduated from Seoul National University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, ranked 16th out of 33 in academic grades (average 93.70/100), 11th in English score (TEPS 855), and 28th in document screening in the first stage. In the second stage, she ranked 15th in interview and 19th in oral examination, finishing 27th overall among 33 candidates.

Regarding allegations that the daughter was the only candidate to receive a perfect score of 60 in the oral exam, the preparation team stated, "It was confirmed that other candidates also received perfect scores in different exam rooms." The daughter graduated from medical school with a final GPA of 3.16 out of 4.5.

Regarding the two papers the son co-authored during university, the team explained, "These were papers related to the engineering college, not the medical school, and he participated in writing them upon the recommendation of Professor Park Jong-tae, his advisor. There was no improper procedure involved."

Jung Ho-young, nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare. / Yonhap News

◆ Democratic Party: "If Two Children Were Admitted During Tenure as University Hospital Director, There Is a High Risk of Conflict of Interest"

The Democratic Party immediately called for verification, doubting the fairness of the transfer process. On the 14th, Oh Young-hwan, the party's floor spokesperson, said at a briefing at the National Assembly Communication Office, "Nominee Jeong Ho-young claims there was 'no suspicion of wrongdoing,' but has not presented any evidence. If he admitted his two children while serving as university hospital director, there is a high risk of conflict of interest."

He added, "The special track through which the son was admitted was newly established just before selection, and he was listed as an author on two Electronics Engineering Society papers right before transferring, presenting this as a major achievement. If he cannot provide convincing explanations and evidence to the public regarding these suspicions, he should immediately step down," urging the nominee's resignation. Some within the Democratic Party referenced investigations into former Minister Cho Kuk's children's admissions, demanding that the same standards be applied to Jeong.

◆ Jeong Ho-young on Children's University Admission Favoritism Allegations: "If Checked, It Will Show There Was No Favoritism"

Jeong stated that there was "no favoritism" in his children's transfer process and that he is not considering resignation. Upon arriving at his office in the National Pension Service building in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, he said, "There was no favoritism. If you check, it will show there was no favoritism," and firmly added, "I have never considered resigning."

Jeong's repeated allegations and controversies are expected to pose a political burden on President-elect Yoon. However, Yoon's camp has stated they will observe the situation until the confirmation hearing. On the 15th, spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said at a press conference at the Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, "The nominee is confident in his ability to clarify the allegations," and "We plan to wait until the verification process takes place in the National Assembly."

She continued, "Above all, to avoid imposing an unreasonable frame on KNU, we are requesting thorough clarification documents one by one," and added, "Please wait for the nominee's detailed explanations and clarifications during the National Assembly confirmation hearing."

Meanwhile, the preparation team requested, "The nominee's children's transfer admissions were achieved through legitimate procedures with academic effort and fairness," and "Considering the children's human rights and personal information protection, we ask the media to refrain from raising suspicions without valid grounds."

Despite the controversy over Jeong's inappropriate past columns and the recent allegations of preferential treatment in his children's transfer admissions, the government submitted the personnel hearing request for Jeong to the National Assembly on the same day.