Univ. head resigns over suspicious use of scholarship money

By Kim Rahn

Busan University of Foreign Studies President Jung Gi-young resigned amid his alleged involvement in some professors' giving scholarships to students and then taking the money back. / gettyimagesbank

Busan University of Foreign Studies President Jung Gi-young has resigned amid suspicions that he was involved in some professors' alleged practice of offering students scholarship money, only to request it back shortly afterward.

The school authorities said, Saturday, that Jung tendered his resignation and the board of directors approved it on Nov. 29, although his term was initially scheduled to end in February 2022.

He had been on sick leave since Nov. 22.

Neither Jung nor the school mentioned the reason for his resignation, but speculations are that it is related to the allegations involving professors at the convergence department of Japanese studies. Jung, who became a professor at the school in 1994, belonged to the department before taking the president position last year.

The Busan Geumjeong Police began investigating the allegations after they received a complaint in September.

According to the complaints and the school's own investigation, professors of the department donated 10,000 to 20,000 won from their salaries every month to a “fund for development of the department,” and provided 2.5 million won each to two students a year starting in 2011.

But after sending the students the scholarship money, the professors allegedly asked the recipients to return it to a different bank account. So the students received 2.5 million won, took only 20,000 won to cover the commission for the bank transaction and sent back 2.48 million won. The school found that over the last nine years, 16 students returned the money.

During the school's own investigation, the involved professors claimed the scholarship recipients returned the money voluntarily for the development of the department.

They also said the money was used to pay for students to take J.TEST, a Japanese language exam, and for them to go on field trips to Japan.

But it was found that a company registered under Jung's name held the copyright of J.TEST, so it is suspected the returned scholarships were eventually funneled back to the former president ― an allegation he denies.

Jung is currently staying overseas, and police have been questioning professors, students and graduates.

“It seems professors of the department have been showing off to professors of other departments that they take care of their students by providing scholarships,” a school official said. “We'll decide on disciplinary actions against them based on the police's investigation results.”