Last summer, the world of Korean arts was rocked by a scandal involving one of the country¡¯s most high-flying curators and her sordid background of academic fakery and favoritism. At first, when revelations trickled in about Shin Jeong-ah, then an assistant professor at Dongguk University, nobody suspected the scandal would lead to something of this magnitude. But one by one, it was revealed that key cultural figures had faked their academic background, including Dankook University professor and head of Dongsoong Art Center Kim Ock-rang, Lee Ji-young, who ran a popular English education program on KBS radio, comic book writer Lee Hyun-se, actresses Jang Mi-hee and Yoon Suk-hwa, and movie director Shim Hyung-rae. Some of them had deliberately fabricated their background, and some simply did not correct misperceptions. Whatever the reason, the public took a dim view of the matter.

The Supreme Court upheld the original verdict of not guilty for Kim Ock-rang on the charge of interfering with official business. Kim had been accused over distorting her academic career to earn a professorship, but the court agreed with the defendant that her appointment as a professor was based on her career in the arts rather than her academic achievement. Lee Hyun-se, who confessed he was only a high school graduate, still devotes his time to teaching students at Sejong University and writing his own comic books.

Actors Jang Mi-hee, Choi Soo-jong, Choi Hwa-jeong, Oh Mi-hee and Kang Seok, and movie director Shim Hyung-rae are still appearing on television and radio. Actress Yoon Suk-hwa made her first public appearance in nearly a year on Monday in a press conference to announce the production of the musical ¡°Sachungi (Adolescence),¡± an adaptation of Frank Wedekind¡¯s ¡°Spring Awakening¡± for a Korean setting. Yoon said, ¡°I felt free the minute I made a confession. Because I am human, it hurt when I heard criticism, and I needed time to heal. I feel relieved as though I finally finished a long overdue chore.¡±

What did we gain and what did we lose from the scandal? ¡°We gained truth. The scandal was an alarm sign to Korean society caught up in pretentious and ostentatious images,¡± says playwright and director Lee Yoon-taek, who was appointed a professor of film and digital media at Dongguk University with a degree from a two-year program at the Korean National Open University. ¡°Many of those who were involved in the scandal say that they feel relieved now. But I doubt if this has changed Korea¡¯s deeply ingrained emphasis on academic background. With the exception of my case, I rather think the emphasis on academic career has been systematically reinforced since then.¡±