IOC suspends Moon Dae-sung's membership over plagiarism

Moon Dae-sung. /Korea Times file

By Park Jae-hyuk

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended former taekwondo gold medalist Moon Dae-sung’s membership of the IOC Athlete’s Commission, Thursday, over alleged plagiarism of his doctorate thesis.

The IOC made the decision at an urgent meeting on July 24.

It means South Korea will participate in the Rio Olympics without an IOC member. Another member, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, has been in hospital since a heart attack in 2014.

Moon was elected to the commission in 2008. His term ends in August after the Rio Olympics.

According to a Korea Times exclusive report, Moon was accused of plagiarizing his doctorate thesis at Kookmin University in April 2012. The school found evidence of plagiarism and withdrew his degree in March 2014.

Moon filed a suit against the university but lost at the first and second trials. He is awaiting a final verdict from the Supreme Court.