Pan-Academic National Verification Group Deems Nominee Unqualified
"Even Fellow Professors Urge Resignation"
Citing Results from Comprehensive Review of 21 Papers
The People Power Party has called for the resignation of Lee Jinsuk, the nominee for Minister of Education, citing the fact that even the Pan-Academic National Verification Group has deemed her unqualified.
On the 14th, Kang Jeonae, spokesperson for the People Power Party, stated in a commentary, "The Pan-Academic National Verification Group, which is comprised of 11 professors' associations, officially urged Lee Jinsuk to voluntarily step down today, declaring her unsuitable as Minister of Education. Now, even her fellow professors have taken action. Lee Jinsuk must resign immediately," she demanded.
Lee Jinsuk, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education nominee, arrived at the confirmation hearing preparation office set up at the Korea Educational Facilities Safety Institute in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 30th, responding to reporters' questions. 2025.06.30 Photo by Yoon Dongju
During a briefing the same day, Spokesperson Kang said, "Suspicions continue to arise that the nominee appropriated her students' theses and repeatedly published papers with high plagiarism rates under her own name. The National Verification Group revealed that, after a comprehensive review of 21 of Lee Jinsuk's papers, they found widespread breaches of research ethics, including plagiarism, improper authorship attribution, and the misappropriation of students' dissertations. The group pointed out that 'there are numerous instances where the nominee listed herself as the first author when publishing her students' dissertations in academic journals, which is a clear act of misconduct.'"
Regarding Lee Jinsuk's claim that she was the "actual author" in relation to the plagiarism controversy, Kang stated, "If, before and after her students' dissertations were published, the nominee released essentially identical papers under her own name, does this mean she wrote her students' theses for them? If this explanation is true, then the students' degrees are obviously invalid. Conversely, if she published her students' dissertations under her own name, this is clearly academic theft," she criticized.
Spokesperson Kang emphasized, "The position of Minister of Education, the head of education in the Republic of Korea, must be held by someone who is, without question, a model of research ethics and who can uphold the academic standards of universities. The time for explanations at the confirmation hearing has already passed. Today's announcement by the verification group is a warning that Lee Jinsuk can no longer regain the public's trust."
She warned, "If President Lee Jaemyung pushes ahead with Lee Jinsuk's appointment, he and the Democratic Party must bear full responsibility for the ensuing public backlash."
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