Dongguk University said Saturday that it has requested its academic corporation to sack assistant professor Shin Jeong-ah, 35, who is alleged to have forged her school diplomas, in the name of President Oh Young-kyo.
Shin is alleged to have forged her diplomas of bachelor's, master's and doctorate when she was recruited by the university, while she has been chosen artistic director of the 2008 Kwangju Biennale, despite disqualification in the initial vote. The board dismissed Shin as art director upon news of forgery of diplomas. She has also been found to have plagiarized in her academic papers.
"The president has asked the decision-making body to dismiss Prof. Shin as it has been entitlted to give discipline. The corporation is known to send the case to the disciplinary panel after holding a board meeting on the issue soon," said an official of the university.
The academic corporation is scheduled to hold an extra board meeting on her school diplomas Shin had forged on July 20 and to decide on whether to dismiss the professor in a disciplinary panel meeting around July 27.
The university earlier planned to call for disciplinary action against Shin based on outcome of the investigation into how Shin has been recruited and what system has been in problem by a fact-finding panel, the official said, adding that the school can no longer delay the disciplinary procedure as the forgery has been revealed in a clear way.
"It will take a lot of time to produce outcome of the investigation into the wrongdoings. We have asked the board to take action first against the forgery of the diplomas as it has been revealed clearly," the official said.
"We planned to confirm the revealed allegations, while giving a chance for Shin to present her position before the disciplinary panel or the fact-finding committee on the level of human rights protection, when she returns from her overseas trip."
Meanwhile, public attention has been focusing on whereabouts of Shin as she has not made public although she is reported to have returned to Seoul from her overseas trip.
Police and authorities concerned confirmed the woman, who flew into Seoul via the Incheon International Airport at 7:30 a.m. Thursday on a flight from Paris, as Prof. Shin in age, address and other personal information.
"We have checked that Shin returned to Seoul one day earlier than scheduled to avoid her possible disclosure to news media. It will be little probable that the woman, who arrived at the Incheon airport from France early Thursday, is not Shin," said a police officer.
However, no contacts are available for Shin whose cellphone is also off.
On the other hand, Dongguk has said that she has yet to return to Seoul. As a result, it will take more time to confirm the whereabouts of Shin, a unversity official said.
"We also checked whether Shin has returned to Seoul upon news that Prof. Shin has been back. A woman with the name same with Shin was checked to have arrived at the airport from overseas other than France. This wrong information seems to spread," he said, flatly denying the report.
Shin left Seoul for Paris on July 5, upon reports that she had forged her doctorate
diploma from Yale Unversity.