Moonsoo Kim:
"Undermining Educational Fairness...
Strict Measures Needed"
Moonsoo Kim, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.
The Ministry of Education has uncovered five cases of admissions-related corruption through its Admissions Irregularities Reporting Center. Violations included exceeding enrollment quotas, admitting students with falsified qualifications, and manipulating application documents, all of which seriously undermined the fairness of the educational process.
According to audit materials submitted by the Ministry of Education to the office of Moonsoo Kim, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker representing Suncheon, Gwangyang, Gokseong, and Gurye in South Jeolla Province, a total of 243 reports were received by the Admissions Irregularities Reporting Center, which was established in November 2023, as of the 15th of this month. Of these, 231 cases have been closed, while 12 are still under investigation. Only five cases resulted in disciplinary action, institutional warnings, or referrals for criminal investigation.
Among the detected cases, a university in Daejeon arbitrarily changed its admissions quota during the 2023 admissions process and admitted more students than allowed. At a university in South Jeolla Province, from 2020 to 2023, applicants were transferred to other departments due to under-enrollment in certain majors, and in the transfer process, staff members unilaterally altered applicants' intended majors, resulting in hundreds of students being reassigned-evidence of systemic corruption.
At a university in North Jeolla Province, during the 2024 additional admissions round, staff members filled out false application forms on behalf of students, admitted them without proper academic review, and even awarded them scholarships. There were also indications that they fabricated meeting minutes for academic reviews in an attempt to avoid detection.
At a university in Gangwon Province, the method for calculating grades was changed after the application deadline without any review. At a university in North Gyeongsang Province, only the minimum number of evaluators were assigned for the practical skills exam, exposing poor management practices.
The Ministry of Education imposed severe and minor disciplinary actions, as well as warnings, on those involved at the respective universities, and some cases were referred for criminal investigation.
Assemblyman Kim emphasized, "These cases represent serious breaches of fairness in the admissions process, and corruption at certain universities is eroding overall trust in the admissions system. Strict disciplinary measures must be taken to ensure that such incidents are never repeated."
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