Controversy Over Gwangju Golf Academy Recruiting Students Under the Name of Hanyang University

Pay 30 Million Won Annually for a Bachelor's Degree
University Demands Tens of Millions as 'Founding Fund' for Professor Recruitment
When Asked for Refund, "Will Return If Replaced by Another"
University: "Will Terminate Agreement Immediately After Fact-Checking"

A leaflet of 'Hanyang University Golf Academy' used as promotional material by Gwangju A Golf Academy.

A golf academy operating in the Gwangju area is facing controversy for promoting itself as if it is directly recruiting students on behalf of Hanyang University, touring high schools in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions. In particular, the academy is causing trouble by claiming that its courses count as credits towards a Hanyang University bachelor's degree and by demanding deposits under the pretext of faculty recruitment, raising concerns that the issue could escalate into a broader social problem.

According to Hanyang University and A Golf Academy (hereafter referred to as A Academy) on the 23rd, A Academy operates the IPGA (International Professional Golf Association) Gwangsan Chapter and signed a memorandum of understanding this year with the Hanyang University Institute for Future Talent Education regarding student recruitment. The agreement states that both parties will cooperate in recruiting students for the sports department at Hanyang University Institute for Future Talent Education, which is an accredited credit bank institution.

However, despite the agreement being unrelated to Hanyang University's official academic schedule, A Academy promoted its educational program as if it were linked to university courses, meeting with high school guidance counselors in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions to recruit students. It was also reported that they approached high school guidance counselors by saying, "We are planning to hold an admissions briefing at Hanyang University," and in some cases, actually held academy briefings for prospective students at certain high schools.

A Academy advertises its tuition as 2.5 million KRW per month, claiming that this is a practical and cost-effective educational opportunity compared to university tuition in Seoul, which is around 4 million KRW per semester, and factoring in round-trip travel, living expenses, and golf lesson fees.

The guidance counselor at B High School in Gwangju said, "I was skeptical when I heard that Hanyang University was recruiting students in regional areas, so I listened to the explanation, but it seemed suspicious, so I did not introduce it to students."

The guidance counselor at C High School in Jeonnam explained, "I was introduced to it as Hanyang Cyber University and thought there might be students who needed it, so I passed on the information. I understood that the tuition was 2.5 million KRW per semester and that a Hanyang University professor would come directly to Gwangju to teach." He added, "I wondered how they could operate with such low tuition, but upon closer inspection, I realized that the fee was 2.5 million KRW per month. That adds up to 30 million KRW a year, and there were no students willing to pay such a large sum to attend the academy."

It is also reported that during some of these briefings, A Academy staff carried hats bearing the Hanyang University logo and handed them to school officials as admissions promotional materials.

D, who previously worked at A Academy, confirmed, "In group chats with academy staff and in external promotions, they explained the courses as if they were part of the Hanyang University Institute for Future Talent Education curriculum. The academy chairman also told me that he had the authority to appoint professors."

Furthermore, A Academy has reportedly demanded founding deposits from some professionals under the pretext of 'faculty recruitment,' and has ignored requests for the return of already deposited funds.

In fact, D said that since September, while working as a golf pro at A Academy, he was asked to deposit a total of 20 million KRW?10 million KRW for the IPGA Gwangsan Chapter founding fund and 10 million KRW for the academy founding fund. He only deposited 10 million KRW for the IPGA founding fund, but signed two four-year contract agreements.

D stated, "I went around recruiting students with business cards listing me as deputy director and special professor at A Academy, but when I asked for even minimum wage, I was told, 'Go do manual labor if you want to earn money.' I have since left the academy and am now making a living doing actual manual labor." D continued, "While recruiting students, I realized that there were many discrepancies in the academy's operations, so I decided to quit and requested the return of my deposit. However, the academy only replied, 'We will return it once someone else replaces you.'"

In response, Hanyang University stated through official channels, "The Institute for Future Talent Education is indeed an affiliated institution of Hanyang University, and the university is also a victim. We hope the university will not be implicated in this incident. Once we became aware of the issue, we immediately notified A Academy of the termination of the agreement and strongly protested to prevent any further commercial use of the Hanyang University name."

A representative of the Hanyang University Institute for Future Talent Education, which had signed the agreement with A Academy, said, "Because we have agreements with many institutions, we were slow to recognize the misconduct occurring at a regional institution. We warned them to stop linking student recruitment to academy courses, but since they did not comply, we terminated the agreement."

Meanwhile, Kim, the chairman of A Academy, stated, "I was overly ambitious. Isn't it natural to have a branch campus or mini-campus after signing an MOU?" He added, "D's deposit was not for the academy but for the IPGA. Only those who share in the IPGA's profit distribution are required to deposit, and D requested it first. The money will be returned according to the contract."

Kim also explained, "The A Academy contract does not contain a single character from 'Hanyang University.' The photo reported in the local media shows the Institute for Future Talent Education in the article, and since the institute is an affiliated institution of Hanyang University, our lawyer advised that it is acceptable for the photo to display only Hanyang University."

Kim further stated, "Regarding the termination of the agreement and related issues, we are considering a lawsuit for damages and are preparing legal action accordingly."