Monk Urges Dongguk Directors to Resign
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Buddhist monk Jang Yoon, who first raised suspicion about former Dongguk University professor Shin Jeong-ah's diploma forgery, urged all members of the school's board of directors to step down.
He said he would cooperate with the prosecution's investigation into the forgery case.
``I urge Dongguk University's directors and other related school officials to resign, taking responsibility for causing problems by covering up Shin's fake academic credentials,'' Ven. Jang Yoon said in the statement read by his lawyer Lee Jung-hoon in a briefing in Seoul, Thursday.
Shin, 35, was employed at the school and appointed as a director for the 2008 Gwangju Biennale using fabricated diplomas. She left for the U.S. in the middle of July as suspicions about her credentials grew.
Ven. Jang Yoon, also a member of the school's board of directors, had talked about his suspicions to the school, but said his claim was ignored and the school and biennale foundation pushed ahead in selecting her.
``It is shameful that no one takes responsibility despite the allegations. I'll step down from my director position,'' the monk said in the statement. Lee said the monk has already tendered his resignation to the school.
It was reported last month that Byeon Yang-kyoon, the Cheong Wa Dae secretary for policy planning, pressed Ven. Jang Yoon not to make a fuss over the case in a phone call early July while he accompanied President Roh Moo-hyun in Guatemala and during a meeting with the monk in Seoul after returning from the trip.
Ven. Jang Yoon acknowledged that he met Byeon and talked about various Buddhist issues, but not specifically about Shin. He also denied receiving the phone call from Guatemala.
``I learned about Shin's fake diploma from art professors and raised my suspicions to the school board and the media. I deplore the society that mistrusts me, who consistently tried to verify the truth,'' he said.
The lawyer did not confirm that Ven. Jang Yoon would answer prosecutors' summons, but said he would cooperate in their investigation.