"Guaranteed Medical School Admission through Hakjong"... Daechi-dong Admissions Consultant Extracts 3.3 Billion Won

"Pay Bribes to Get into Medical School" - Parents of 3 Deceived

A former Daechi-dong admissions consultant who extorted 3.3 billion won from parents under the pretense of guaranteeing admission to medical schools was sentenced to five years in prison. The prosecution immediately filed an appeal against this ruling.

Photo by Asia Economy DB

On the 1st, the Goyang Branch of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office announced that Mr. A, a man in his 50s who was detained and prosecuted on charges including fraud, appealed on the 28th of last month after receiving a five-year prison sentence in the first trial. Before the sentencing, the prosecution had requested an eight-year prison term for Mr. A. The sentence was reduced by three years at sentencing.

Mr. A was known as a famous admissions consultant in Daechi-dong. From September 2020 to November 2022, he deceived three parents by claiming, "(If you pay a bribe) I will get your child admitted to the desired university, such as medical school, through the comprehensive student record screening," and embezzled a total of 3.29 billion won. Contrary to the promises made to the parents, Mr. A did not deliver the money received from the victims to university officials; instead, he spent about 600 million won at entertainment establishments and squandered the rest on gambling and other expenses.

The court explained the sentencing by stating, "The defendant exploited the desperate feelings of the parents to amass a large sum of money," and "This could negatively affect the trust and fairness of the admissions system." In response, the Goyang Branch stated, "The defendant's crime involved squandering the proceeds on entertainment and gambling, reflecting poor criminal conduct," and "Considering that more than 2 billion won of the damages have not been recovered, a harsher sentence than the first trial's ruling is necessary," as grounds for the appeal.

The prosecution, which declared it would respond strictly to crimes that promote unfairness in the overheated admissions process, said, "We will do our best to ensure that the defendant receives a punishment commensurate with his guilt in the appellate trial."