By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-09 01:31:28 | Updated at 2025-01-09 14:59:45
13 hours ago
A South Korean university investigating allegations of academic misconduct against first lady Kim Keon-hee has concluded that she plagiarised her master’s thesis, piling more pressure on impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol as he fights for political survival.
Sookmyung Women’s University launched a review in 2022 after Kim was accused of falsifying the dissertation she submitted to the institution’s graduate school of education in 1999 to pursue a master’s course.
The Seoul-based private university presented its report to Kim last December and she has until the end of this month to contest the findings.
If the president’s wife appeals against the decision, the university would consider her request before finalising the results, Yonhap reported, citing unidentified sources.
03:05
South Korean police say ‘legal flaws’ kept them from arresting President Yoon Suk-yeol
South Korean police say ‘legal flaws’ kept them from arresting President Yoon Suk-yeol
It is not the first time Kim, who also faces allegations ranging from stock market manipulation to interference in election nominations, has been embroiled in a controversy over her academic credentials.
In 2022, Seoul’s Kookmin University cleared Kim of plagiarism after a months-long probe into her doctoral dissertation. She earned her PhD in design from the school in 2008.
