Shamed Professors Family in Shock
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Shin Jeong-ah, assistant art professor of Dongguk University and dismissed art director of Gwangju Biennale 2008, not only shocked art circles when she falsified her academic records, but also dismayed those closest to her.
According to her uncle Shin Hee-won, her mother is in deep shock after learning that her daughter's professional background was all fake. The man told local Hankook Ilbo newspaper that her mother, Lee, is lying in bed all day, panicked. He also said that the whole family is shocked that the media frenzy has affected the privacy of Shin's family and that he cannot believe his ``good niece'' has done such things.
He asked reporters to wait until the accused professor speaks up.
Meanwhile, Shin, who was spotted at the JFK International Airport in New York, complained to reporters that the media mistook her and made her a ``mere high school graduate.''
Dressed in jeans without any make up, Shin, who went to the U.S. to consult with Yale University and her attorneys to prepare a legal challenge to the ``conspiracy,'' refused to talk to reporters who had been waiting for her at the airport.
She just said that she felt mortified when the Korean press tried to label her a high school graduate, asserting that all her flaws were from plagiarizing a doctorate degree and that she is indeed a doctor. She is said to have spoken to her friends saying that she admits the plagiarism, but she doubts that all Korean students with foreign degrees are original.
Shin is now one of the most talked about persons in the country after news broke out that the 35-year-old ``art Cinderella'' had fabricated academic records, including a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and a doctorate from Yale University. Shin was one of the most admired people in art circles for having achieved degrees at major U.S. universities and having also achieved several coveted major positions at such a young age.
After the news broke out, the Gwangju Biennale Committee said Monday that it would sue Shin for tarnishing the art fair's reputation. Dongguk University also said that it has secured evidence from the universities Shin claimed to have studied at, and that it is considering withdrawing its employment. The school's measure is much graver than just a dismissal as it would erase all records of Shin having worked there.