Head of National Assembly Legislative Research Office Reported to Police Over Alleged Grade Favoritism During Professorship

Booked on Charges of Obstruction of Business

Park Sang-chul, head of the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, is under police investigation after being accused of giving preferential academic treatment to a foreign student during his time as a professor.

Seodaemun Police Station, Seoul / Photo by Asia Economy DB

According to the Seoul Seodaemun Police Station on the 27th, Park was booked on charges of obstruction of business for allegedly unfairly awarding credits to a Chinese student who was not in the country in 2018, when he was a professor at the Graduate School of Political Science at Kyonggi University.

According to the university's regulations, students who are absent for more than one-fourth of the class days in a semester cannot receive credits, but the investigation found that this student was credited with completing courses worth 6 credits by Park. The police are investigating the circumstances under which the student received credits while not being in Korea.

Park served as the vice president of Kyonggi University from 2017 to 2022 and was appointed head of the National Assembly Legislative Research Office in April last year.