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Health minister nominee denies allegations surrounding his children
Health minister candidate Chung Ho-young puts on his glasses before reading a statement at the National Medical Center in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
By Ko Dong-hwan
By Ko Dong-hwan
Health minister nominee Chung Ho-young, who has been mired in allegations of using his position to help his children enter medical school and avoid mandatory military service, denied all of the accusations on Sunday.
“I assure you that I never did anything wrong regarding my children using my social title,” Chung said during a press conference at National Medical Center. “My children transferring to a medical school and my son being exempt from mandatory military service had all proceeded according to ways in which the maximum level of fairness was guaranteed.”
Chung denied allegations that his son and daughter had transferred to Kyungpook National University School of Medicine in 2016 and 2017 when their father served as president of Kyungpook National University Hospital.
According to the allegations, Chung's daughter passed an interview as part of the screening test to enter the school in 2017 in which three of the sitting judges were Chung's friends. She received perfect scores from them in the examination.
“The sitting judges for the interview were selected on the day of the examination so there was no way I could know who will judge my daughter,” Chung said at the press conference. “There were as many as triple systemic barriers in the screening procedure against any possible bribing of the judges, so it was virtually impossible (for me to watch my daughter's back).”
Chung claimed his children also received mediocre scores in parts of the screening test to transfer to the medical school where subjective assessments by judges played a critical role, such as the interview and evaluation of submitted documents, while they scored high in tests based on computer assessments like TEPS (English proficiency test certified by the Korean government).
“Based on my children's performances, it is unacceptable to claim that I granted my children any favors,” the candidate said.
Chung also denied an allegation that his son benefited from his father's status and was named as a co-author of two academic papers he had taken part in while pursuing a bachelor's degree in engineering. The papers were then registered to Korea Citation Index. The candidate said the case had similar precedents in his son's school and his professor did not display any favoritism for his child.
Chung Ho-young bows before journalists ahead of a press conference at the National Medical Center in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
Chung also denied allegations that his son avoided mandatory military service in 2015 by acquiring an allegedly forged medical assessment report that stated he had a critical backbone problem and any excessive physical activity could worsen his health condition. He got the report from Kyungpook National University Hospital ― where the candidate was working ― a week before he was due for a health exam with the Military Manpower Administration (MMA), according to the allegation. The administration, based on the report, exempted him from mandatory military service.
Chung's son had undergone the MMA's health test in 2010 and was deemed fit to join the military, but had delayed enlisting. He is known to have started suffering from the health problem in 2014.
“My son underwent MRI two times at Kyungpook hospital and one CT scan at MMA, all of which were carried out by three different doctors, upon being declared physically ineligible for military service” Chung said. “There was no favor and all the procedures were conducted fairly. If these facts still aren't satisfactory, I request the National Assembly to designate any medical institute and I will have my son get tested once again to check if he is eligible for military service.”
Chung also denied an allegation that he favored his son in hiring a volunteer at Kyungpook hospital, where he helped transport patients.
“The position was open to anybody, so anyone interested in the position didn't need any favors,” he said.
“I have been dedicating myself as a medical expert outside the capital region for the past 40 years,” Chung said. “I think I have lived honestly with nothing to be ashamed of. When I was named for the minister's position, I thought it was a good opportunity for me to serve the public using my expertise and experience.”
Chung's allegations had prompted lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to condemn the candidate and the presidential transition committee. They compared the candidate to former Justice Minister Cho Kuk who faced a huge backlash in 2019 after he and his professor wife were accused of abusing their social statuses to help their son and daughter pad their resumes while in school. DPK lawmakers, who had supported Cho, said Chung must face the same level of stringency when the candidate will be grilled at a confirmation hearing by the National Assembly.
Chung is known as a decades-long friend of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon, ahead of Chung's press conference on Sunday, said the candidate “would have to have certain facts contradict his integrity” to step down from his appointed job.