Pusan National University (PNU) has decided to nullify the 2015 admission of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's daughter to its medical school. The school in the southeastern port city of Busan held a faculty meeting Tuesday afternoon and finalized the decision on the fate of Cho Min. Hours later her lawyer filed an injunction seeking the suspension of the decision.
Tuesday's decision was affected apparently by the Supreme Court's conviction of her mother, Chung Kyung-shim, in January. Chung was found guilty on all seven charges associated with her daughter's admission fraud. Cho Min entered Korea University in 2010 and graduated in 2014. She was then admitted to PNU's Graduate School of Medicine in 2015 and passed the state medical licensing exam in January last year.
Following PNU's decision to invalidate her admission, the health ministry will begin a procedure to revoke Cho Min's medical license. But she could maintain her license for a considerable while if she takes legal action against the ministry.
The school's decision is long overdue, considering that Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of Choi Soon-sil who was at the center of a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, was expelled from Ewha Womans University even before her mother was convicted in the lower court. PNU cited the principle that one is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty, but critics accused the school of walking on eggshells, alleging that Cho Kuk was one of President Moon Jae-in's closest confidants. It took nearly two years for PNU to make a preliminary nullification decision last August, and another seven months were needed before the final decision was made.
What's clear is that his daughter was admitted to the schools illicitly thanks to the fabrication of documents, provoking the ire of ordinary people. The former justice minister should feel the enormous pain of some applicants who couldn't enter Korea University and PNU because of his daughter. He should apologize to them sincerely instead of trying vainly to take legal action.