First Lady Kim Geon-hee is delivering a greeting at the '2022 Visiting Christmas, Hope Box Sharing Event with Neighbors' held last month in the Namdaemun jjokbangchon area of Jung-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Sookmyung Women's University has launched a formal investigation into allegations of plagiarism in the master's thesis of Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol.
According to the Sookmyung Women's University Democratic Alumni Association on the 3rd, the university informed the alumni association that it began the formal investigation into the plagiarism allegations of Kim's thesis in mid-last month. However, the schedule for the formal investigation was not disclosed. The formal investigation of Kim's master's thesis is expected to be completed around mid-March. The investigation must be completed within 90 days from the start date.
Kim is accused of plagiarism related to her 1999 master's thesis submitted to the Graduate School of Education at Sookmyung Women's University, titled "A Study on the Characteristics of Paul Klee's Paintings." According to the Democratic Alumni Association, four papers not listed in the thesis bibliography were used in Kim's thesis without citation.
In response to these allegations, Sookmyung Women's University formed the Research Ethics and Integrity Committee and conducted a preliminary investigation starting in February last year. However, the university faced criticism during the National Assembly Education Committee's audit and other occasions for not deciding whether to start a formal investigation by the end of last year.
Yu Young-jae, president of the Sookmyung Women's University Democratic Alumni Association, said, "The start of the formal investigation means that some degree of plagiarism was detected during the preliminary investigation," adding, "The public will be well informed about whether Kim's thesis involved plagiarism."
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