Probe widens on education graft scandal

President Lee Myung-bak yesterday ordered thorough investigations into recent admission irregularities and bribery cases in the education circles.

Inquiries are under way on several corruption cases including one involving a former Seoul education chief.

Seoul elite high schools yesterday were ordered to cancel the admission of about 130 students who used illegal means to enter the coveted schools.

Lee convened an emergency meeting of senior secretaries to discuss the scandals, Kim Eun-hye, presidential spokeswoman said.

"The president ordered a thorough investigation and punishment to prevent a recurrence," she said.

The Seoul Western District Prosecutors` Office on Thursday banned former Seoul education superintendent Gong Jeong-taek from leaving the country while under investigation into a bribery scandal involving officials of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

A senior personnel official was recently arrested for taking money from teachers in exchange for promotion favors. Prosecutors are looking into whether the money was also delivered to Gong and other officials.

Two high school principals who worked in the personnel department, were arrested last week for their involvement in the same case.

The prosecutors` office will summon Gong soon, officials said.



Gong lost his elected position of Seoul education superintendent last year after he fined 1.5 million won ($1,292) by the court for failing to report a large sum of borrowed money to the authorities. The money was largely suspected to be bribes from private education institutes.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutor`s Office is looking into a separate case on Gong. The Seoul Liberal Teachers` Union and the New Right Union earlier this week filed a charge against him for illicitly interfering in personnel issues at the education office.

Both cases involving Gong are to be directly reported to the Supreme Prosecutors` Office, said officials.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission also launched a task force to probe other possible corruption cases within the education office.

In a separate case, SMOE yesterday annulled the entrance of 128 students to elite high schools.

The students, many of who came from affluent and influential families, were admitted to slots specially reserved for students from low-income families.

The school principals who wrote false letters of recommendation are to be penalized by mid-March, said officials.

Parents vowed to file an administrative litigation against the entrance annulment.



(tellme@heraldm.com)



By Bae Hyun-jung