South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee may have her doctorate revoked after her master's thesis was found to be plagiarized.
Portrait of South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee - Photo: NEWSIS
The Korea Times reported on January 15th that Kookmin University (also known as Korea National University) is considering revoking the doctoral degree of South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee, after Sookmyung Women's University recently concluded that her master's thesis contained plagiarism.
A review will be conducted.
Speaking to the South Korean daily Hankook Ilbo on January 14, an official from Kookmin University said the university would reconsider Kim's doctoral degree if Sookmyung University revoked the First Lady's master's degree.
"If Sookmyung University officially revokes Ms. Kim's master's degree based on the investigation results, we will also convene a meeting to review the validity of her doctoral degree," affirmed Lee Eun Hyung, director of international affairs at Kookmin University.
If the South Korean First Lady's master's degree is revoked, it would also mean that she does not meet the necessary requirements to participate in a doctoral program.
According to Kookmin University's regulations, students are only permitted to participate in the doctoral program if they hold a master's degree or equivalent academic qualifications.
However, Kookmin University can only proceed with reviewing Kim's doctoral degree once Sookmyung University officially revokes her master's degree. Even if the plagiarism conclusion is confirmed, some experts believe this may not actually lead to the revocation of the degree.
Low recovery rate
According to observers, the likelihood of Kookmin University revoking Kim's doctoral degree is low, especially considering how the university handled her plagiarism allegations.
Specifically, in 2022, Kookmin University reviewed four of Kim's academic papers, including her doctoral dissertation, and concluded that three showed no signs of research misconduct.
Regarding the remaining questionable paper, the school later reached a controversial conclusion stating that it was not suitable for the assessment.
However, when Kim's thesis contained numerous errors, including mistranslating the term "membership retention" (referring to maintaining a certain number of members in an organization, club, or service) as "member Yuji," where "Yuji" is the Korean transliteration of "retention," Kookmin University considered these errors minor and insignificant.
Kim Ji Yong, chairman of the executive board of Kookmin University, who was designated as a witness in the National Assembly 's 2022 investigations into allegations of plagiarism against Kim, has not attended the investigations for three consecutive years, citing overseas business trips.
Previously, on January 8th, the investigative committee of Sookmyung Women's University completed its two-year investigation, concluding that Ms. Kim's master's thesis contained plagiarism. The university informed both Ms. Kim and the original whistleblower of this conclusion.
Unless either party intends to appeal within 30 days, this decision will take effect.
Based on this, the school's ethics committee may recommend penalties, including revoking or modifying the thesis and notifying the relevant journals, or canceling the degree.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/de-nhat-phu-nhan-han-quoc-co-the-bi-mat-bang-tien-si-vi-dao-van-20250115123843265.htm
Comment (0)