Busan Superintendent of Education By-Election Candidate Cha Jeong-in
"No Authority for the President to Block Admission Cancellation"
Cha Jeong-in, former president of Pusan National University and a progressive candidate in the Busan Metropolitan City Superintendent of Education by-election to be held on April 2, expressed regret over the decision to revoke the admission of Cho Min, daughter of former leader Cho Kuk of the former Innovation Party, to the medical school during his tenure.
Jo Min, daughter of former Jo Guk, former leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party, and Cha Jeong-in, preliminary candidate for Busan Superintendent of Education. SNS capture, provided by Cha's preliminary candidate camp.
At a recent press conference, former President Cha said regarding Cho’s case, “The regret and apology for the undeniable fact that the president could not protect the student remain the same then and now.” Currently, former leader Cho is incarcerated on charges including admission fraud involving his children.
He added, “It is an undeniable fact that the investigation at the time was a politically targeted prosecution. As the administrative official who had no choice but to apply the investigation results and court rulings, I went through a heavy and difficult time,” and said, “While I can say that I complied with the legal norms the university must follow and also did my best to clarify the student’s grievances, regardless of my efforts, I ultimately failed to protect the student.”
Earlier, Pusan National University announced the cancellation of Cho’s admission in 2021, two years after allegations surfaced that she used false internship certificates and awards in her medical school application.
Regarding this decision, he explained, “After the first trial ruling, the People Power Party launched fierce attacks, and the Ministry of Education sent official letters demanding the cancellation of admission, but we did not comply. Only after the appellate court ruling did we issue a notice of intended admission cancellation, and the admission cancellation was finalized after the Supreme Court confirmed the guilty verdict and the hearing officer’s opinion was submitted.” He also stated, “The president did not have discretionary power to block the admission cancellation by authority.”
Former President Cha’s remarks appear to be a clarification in response to some progressive critics questioning whether the president could have blocked the admission cancellation by authority. He also emphasized that “During the National Assembly audit, when a People Power Party lawmaker said the admission cancellation was harsh, I firmly refused to apologize.”
This Busan Metropolitan City Superintendent of Education by-election is being held following the invalidation of the election of former conservative Superintendent Ha Yun-su in December last year due to charges of illegal election campaigning.
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