Ethics Commission set to convene after the collection of information
The International Olympic Committee is looking into allegations surrounding its member Moon Dae-sung over plagiarism, an official confirmed.
Moon, who won a National Assembly seat, has been under fire for plagiarizing his doctoral thesis.
“The IOC has been in contact with Moon since the allegations were first made,” said IOC media relations manager Andrew Mitchell.
“The IOC will ask to receive the reports related to this case, study them and then consider whether any action needs to be taken,” he said.
The official spoke to The Korea Herald on Friday after Kookmin University announced that the lawmaker-elect had plagiarized his doctoral thesis submitted to the university in 2007.
“We will contact the university in due time,” he added.
But the official was careful to avoid any comment on whether the IOC Ethics Commission would discuss Moon’s membership.
“The IOC Ethics Commission will only be active once there is a definitive decision by the university and only after the Commission has received all the information will it be able to discuss the issue,” he said.
Moon Dae-sung
There is no clear indication regarding plagiarism in the IOC’s code of conduct, but some media insist the Olympic governing body should strip Moon of his membership as he not only violated the principles of academia but also violated the trust of the international sports governing body.
The mission of the IOC Ethics Commission, it says, is to ensure respect of the ethical principles within the Olympic Movement.
It conducts investigations into breaches of ethics submitted by the IOC president and, where necessary, makes recommendations to the IOC Executive Board.
The ethics board meets at least twice a year, more frequently if urgent matters demand it. But its recommendations remain confidential until the IOC Executive Board makes a decision.
Moon, who won a gold medal in taekwondo at the 2004 Olympics, was elected as a member of the IOC Athletes Commission in 2008, becoming the first Asian athlete to win a seat on the 19-member commission.
The role of the IOC Athletes Commission role is to provide a link between active competitors and the Olympic governing body. Moon’s term on the commission lasts until 2016.
He had been working closely with the PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee, and also served as a professor at Dong-A University in Busan.
By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldm.com)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
