Jung Reflects on Past on SNS
"Resigned to Avoid Harming Politics"
Yonsei University is reported to have revoked the master's degree of Jo Won (27), the son of Jo Guk, leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party, while Jung Yoo-ra, daughter of Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil), recalled her past by saying, "It took me less than six months to reach middle school graduation."
On the 8th, Jung posted on her Facebook page a photo of an article about Jo's master's degree cancellation. Starting her post with "I'm not really angry anymore," Jung stated, "It took two years from 2022 for Jo Guk's son's degree to be revoked. I don't even remember, but I recall that it took me less than six months to reach middle school graduation before it was revoked."
She continued, "I clearly knew that all athletes entered and graduated from university under the same conditions, but I persuaded my mother (Choi) not to cause political harm and voluntarily resigned," adding, "At the time, if I had used a 'water ghost' tactic, I could have revoked the degrees of all famous athletes, but I didn't." She also recalled, "I thought, just because I was suffering, does everyone have to suffer? I believed that was humanity." She further said, "Even when athletes were issuing statements defending Jo Guk, I just watched and thought, 'Okay, okay.'"
Jung wrote, "Those guys (famous athletes) would have all been middle school graduates if I had used the 'water ghost' tactic, but seeing them blame me for the stricter attendance because of me just makes me laugh," adding, "I agreed with the opinion to recognize athletes' attendance even if my degree is not returned, and my feelings have not changed." She also said, "Even the People Power Party is now saying to acknowledge removing athletes from school records, but although it feels unpleasant, I am staying silent because I don't want to cause trouble for the right-wing."
Jung entered Cheongdam High School in 2016 and Ewha Womans University in 2017, both of which were later canceled, making her final academic qualification middle school graduation.
Meanwhile, Yonsei University recently held the Admissions Fairness Management Committee (Fairness Committee) and decided to cancel Jo Won's graduate school admission and revoke his master's degree. According to Yonsei University's regulations, reasons for canceling university or graduate school admission include false statements, forgery or alteration of submitted documents related to the admission process, proxy exams, or cheating.
Yonsei University formed the Fairness Committee in 2022 to discuss whether to maintain Jo's degree in the Graduate School of Political Science and Diplomacy. After former Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, who was indicted for issuing a false internship certificate for Jo, was convicted by the Supreme Court in September last year, the university appears to have proceeded with the admission cancellation process against Jo in earnest.
Jo failed the integrated master's and doctoral program in Political Science and Diplomacy at Yonsei University in the second semester of 2017 but reapplied and was accepted into the master's program in the same major in the first semester of 2018, receiving his master's degree in 2021. At the time of admission, Jo submitted an internship certificate issued by former lawmaker Choi, who was a lawyer at the law firm Cheongmaek. The court recognized that Choi issued a false internship certificate to Jo, who did not actually work as an intern, thereby obstructing the graduate school's admission process (obstruction of business), sentencing Choi to eight months in prison with a two-year probation. Separately, the prosecution is investigating Jo's graduate school admission fraud case. Jo is currently known to be enrolled at Seoul National University's Graduate School of International Studies.
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