Celebrity instructor, cable TV host and education entrepreneur Kim Mi-kyung has become the latest in a string of public figures accused of plagiarism.
The 48-year-old who hosts a talk show under her name at tvN is alleged to have copied at least four papers by others for the master’s degree she earned from Ewha Womans University in 2007.
The university said that it was investigating the allegations that several paragraphs and footnotes in her paper are the same as other master’s degree theses published in 2003 and 2004 and also from a local professor’s academic report from 1995.
Kim denied the plagiarism accusation, saying the duplications were “careless mistakes” in not fully identifying her citations.
“(My thesis) had some technical errors. I should have revised it more carefully to meet the academic standards. It’s my fault, but I didn’t betray my moral conscience,” she wrote in a statement released Wednesday.
Kim graduated from Yonsei University with a bachelor’s degree in music and earned her master’s degree from Ewha Womans University. She rose to stardom through her speaking skills showcased in her public speeches since age 29.
She also wrote bestseller “Dream On,” which covers people from all walks of life who pursue their dreams.
Kim has been hosting the cable TV program since January this year, and she currently heads a private firm called W-insights that specializes in designing education programs for women.
The cable TV channel announced Wednesday that her talk show will be aired as scheduled until the university’s official decision.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
