Sookmyung Women's University has tentatively concluded that First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, committed plagiarism in her master's thesis, and Kookmin University is also considering revoking her doctoral degree.
On the 15th, a Kookmin University official told multiple media outlets, "A doctoral degree cannot exist without a master's degree," adding, "If Sookmyung Women's University decides to revoke the master's degree, we plan to make a decision regarding the revocation of the doctoral degree as well." The official also stated, "Since plagiarism means the thesis is invalid, we plan to review the academic regulations and related rules."
The decision on whether to revoke the doctoral degree will be made by the Graduate School Committee of Kookmin University in accordance with the university's academic regulations. According to the regulations, admission to the doctoral program requires either a master's degree or an equivalent or higher academic qualification. If the master's degree is revoked, the requirements for awarding the doctoral degree may need to be re-evaluated.
Kim received her doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Techno Design at Kookmin University in 2008 with a thesis titled "A Study on the Development of Fortune-telling Content Using Avatars: Focusing on the Development and Market Application of 'Anita'." Previously, in 2007, she faced controversy for writing "member Yuji" in English in the "member retention" section of another thesis.
Sookmyung Women's University has tentatively concluded that Kim's 1999 master's thesis, "A Study on the Characteristics of Paul Klee's Paintings," constitutes plagiarism and has notified Kim's side via mail and email.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
