By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Education minister nominee, Ahn Byung-man, has come under fire due to allegations that he was involved in admission irregularities in 1997 at Hankuk University of Foreign Language.
Shim Jae-il, 72, former professor of the university told the Kookmin Ilbo that Ahn asked him to cooperate regarding the irregularities ahead of the admission exam in 1996. Shim was a chief supervisor of the admission exam and the man who disclosed the corruption at a press conference in 1998.
At that time, the Education Ministry concluded the allegations were true. Shim was then sacked and indicted as he was involved in the case.
``At that time I was in a position to protect our university president and I though it would not help our school if I revealed the president’s involvement in the corruption,'' Shim was quoted as saying.
In response, the minister nominee denied the allegation through a statement released Thursday. Ahn said he would file complaints with the Press Arbitration Commission against the newspaper company and sue the former professor for defamation.