By Kim Hyo-jin
Opposition lawmakers accused the nominee for unification minister of lacking ethical integrity at confirmation hearings Wednesday because he committed “self-plagiarism” in an academic thesis.
“It is unbelievable that you copied your previous theses several times when writing a new one,” Rep. Shin Kyoung-min of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) said.
He argued that Hong Yong-pyo’s 2010 paper, published by the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) has extensive content copied from two dissertations that he wrote in 2000.
His 30-page thesis titled the “Evolution of Syngman Rhee’s Anti-Communist Policy and the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula” synchronized 95 percent with his previous one, “State Security and Regime Security: President Syngman Rhee and the Insecurity Dilemma in South Korea, 1953-60,” according to Shin.
The controversial thesis helped Hong to be promoted to a full-time professor of politics at Hanyang University.
“Self-plagiarism is considered to be a felony in academia,” Shin added.
“In practice, it was acceptable to make use of one’s own thesis to some extent,” Hong replied. “I admit some parts were duplicated without the proper citation of sources.”
Hong is a scholar-turned-politician and an expert in diplomacy, national defense and inter-Korean affairs.
President Park Geun-hye tapped Hong, who worked on security and diplomacy affairs in her presidential transition team in late 2012 to be her presidential secretary for unification affairs in 2013.
He accepted the position and played a critical role in crafting Park’s signature North Korea “Trust-building process” policy.
During the hearing, the NPAD lawmaker also took issue with the lack of substantial results in policies toward North Korea while he served as a policy maker.
Rep. Kim Han-gil also slammed him for failing to get any substantial results during President Park’s two-year term.
“Park Geun-hye’s trust-building process has remained mere rhetoric for the last two years. As a presidential secretary in charge of North Korea policy, you are responsible for that,” Rep. Kim said.
Lawmakers focused on examining how the appointee will approach the stalled inter-Korean relations.
The Saenuri Party’s Yoon Sang-hyun advised him, saying, “It is time to search for different ways to approach North Korea.”
He urged the government to hold new closed-door talks with North Korea.
“I will explore various methods to invigorate dialogue and discuss major pending issues," Hong replied. "A special envoy can be considered as one of many ideas."
Regarding the May 24th measures, he said, “They can only be lifted when Pyongyang takes steps that the public here can accept.”
The so-called May 24 Sanctions ban all trading and commercial activities between the two sides except at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. Pyongyang has demanded the sanctions be lifted before there is any inter-Korean dialogue.