Sookmyung Women's University, which is investigating allegations that South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee plagiarized her master's thesis, has released its preliminary findings.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee - Photo: AFP
The Korea Times reported on January 8th that an internal review by Sookmyung Women's University – where South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee submitted her 1999 master's thesis in arts education – has concluded preliminarily that she plagiarized in her master's thesis.
According to sources, the university's research ethics committee sent these findings to Ms. Kim in late December last year, and gave her until the end of January this year to appeal the decision.
If the First Lady denies and objects to this conclusion, the committee is expected to consider her appeal before making a final decision.
Controversy surrounding Kim's alleged plagiarism of her master's thesis has been ongoing since 2022. Kim was accused of plagiarizing her master's thesis titled "A Study on the Painting Characteristics of Paul Klee," submitted in 1999 to Sookmyung University as part of a requirement to complete her master's program.
Faced with controversy, Sookmyung University established a committee under the Federation of Korean Industries in 2022 and began a preliminary investigation, subsequently launching a formal investigation in mid-December 2022.
According to regulations, the principal investigation must commence within 30 days of the preliminary investigation results being approved and be completed within 90 days of commencement.
However, this verification process took two years.
On January 7th, South Korean broadcaster YTN reported that the Sookmyung Democratic Alliance, the party raising the plagiarism allegations, stated that they had only been informed of the results, but the school had yet to provide them with detailed information.
In response, Sookmyung University explained that the committee decided to inform the investigated party of the results first, and then inform the accuser. The university also emphasized that, as a matter of principle, it was not necessary to inform both parties at the same time.
In addition to plagiarism allegations, Kim has been implicated in numerous other controversies, including allegations of stock price manipulation, receiving lavish gifts, and interfering in the presidential election.
These issues have attracted considerable attention from the public and political circles, adding further challenges to the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is currently suspended from office due to the imposition of martial law.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/de-nhat-phu-nhan-han-quoc-bi-cao-buoc-dao-luan-van-thac-si-20250109113429605.htm
Comment (0)