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A prominent figure accused of forging her academic credentials has been cleared in court, but the prosecution was angry at the first in a string of expected judgments in such cases that were flushed out in the wake of the Shingate scandal.
The Seoul Central District Court cleared Kim Ok-rang, the head of Dongsoong Art Center, of obstructing official duties by presenting fake academic credentials when she was hired as a professor at Dankook University. Kim earned a master and doctorate degree from Sungkyunkwan University by presenting a diploma from the unaccredited Pacific Western University in the U.S. The bench ruled Kim had not obstructed official business since Dankook University did not review her credentials when hiring her.
Judges said the school had not reviewed Kim¡¯s academic qualifications since it hired Kim based on her actual work experience and activities as a theater director rather than her academic background.
Citing judicial precedent set by the Supreme Court, academic background forgers will be found guilty when the school fully reviewed their academic credentials but failed to question the authenticity of the documents, the judges said.
An official with the Korean Bar Association said the bench made the decision since it felt Dankook University had hired Kim due to her reputation not her academic background. ¡°That is what counsel for other academic forgers have claimed in similar cases,¡± he added.
The question is whether that will affect similar cases. In the case of Shin Jeong-ah, who was hired as an assistant professor at Dongguk University with a fake Yale doctorate degree, the court refused to grant an arrest warrant on charges of obstructing official business in September, saying she presented no flight risk or was unlikely to destroy evidence. But she was arrested after embezzlement charges were added. The first hearing in her trial was held this week.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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