Kim Keon Hee's master's thesis has been under investigation for three years
South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee's master's thesis submitted to Sookmyung Women's University looks set to be deemed plagiarized, according to local reports Tuesday.
In 1999, Kim earned a master's degree in art education from the Graduate School of Education at Sookmyung. Plagiarism allegations first surfaced decades later, in December 2021, as scrutiny of her credentials intensified after her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, emerged as a strong presidential candidate at the time.
Following an accusation filed by an alumnae group calling themselves the “Democratic Alumnae Association,” Sookmyung's research ethics committee officially launched a preliminary investigation into the case in February 2022. After 10 months, in December 2022, a full-fledged probe began.
The process was criticized for taking an unusually long time, far exceeding the 60-day period designated for a preliminary review and the 30 days within which a decision to launch a full investigation should have been made.
Finally this January, the university concluded that Kim in fact committed plagiarism.
According to media reports Tuesday, the alumnae group that first raised the plagiarism allegations against the first lady, decided not to raise an objection to the findings, in order to expedite the process.
Kim, who was informed of the results of the university's review of her thesis, also did not dispute it by the deadline of Feb. 12.
Once the thesis is officially deemed plagiarized, the university's research ethics committee will discuss follow-up actions within a maximum of 60 days and report them to the university president. The Graduate School of Education committee will then make a final decision on disciplinary actions, such as revocation of her degree.
The revocation of her master’s degree could affect the validity of Kim’s Ph.D., which she earned from Kookmin University's Graduate School of Techno Design in 2008, as Kookmin requires a valid master’s degree or equivalent qualifications for doctoral admissions.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
