Calls growing for revoking college admissions of ex-minister's daughter

Chung Kyung-sim, former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's wife and a DongyangUniversity professor, enters the Seoul Central District Court, Dec. 23, to attend a sentencing hearing. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

Calls are growing for revoking college admissions of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's daughter, after his wife was sentenced to four years in prison for forging the daughter's academic records to get her into a university and medical school.

Since the Seoul Central District Court found Chung Kyung-sim, Cho's wife and a Dongyang University professor, guilty on all charges related to academic fraud and some financial misconduct, Dec. 23, Korea University students have been raising calls on the university to revoke admission of Cho Min ― Cho and Chung's daughter ― as the court said Chung had colluded with her husband to forge internship certificates and citations for their daughter.

According to the court, Cho Min used forged certificates of internship at Dankook University, Kongju National University and Seoul National University for her Korean University admission, and used a forged Dongyang University presidential citation and a certificate of internship at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology for her admission to the medical school of Pusan National University (PNU) afterward.

“I am waiting for the university's follow-up measures,” one student wrote on an online community of Korea University. Over 800 students supported the comments.

Critics cited an example that Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of Choi Soon-sil who was at the center of the 2016 massive political scandal that led to the removal of former President Park Geun-hye, was expelled from Ewha Womans University over allegations that she had received special treatment in her admission.

Following the court ruling, Korean Medical Association President Choi Dae-zip has also asked the PNU medical school to revoke Cho Min's admission without delay.

The two schools have yet to make an official statement regarding the issue.