Lee Jin-sook's Confirmation Hearing for Minister of Education Nominee, Intense Debate Over Children's Education and Thesis Allegations

[Financial News] On the 16th, at the National Assembly's confirmation hearing for Lee Jin-sook, nominee for Minister of Education, issues regarding early overseas education and academic status of her children, as well as thesis plagiarism allegations, emerged as major points of contention, leading to intense debates between ruling and opposition lawmakers and the nominee. The process of verifying her morality and expertise as an education leader drew national attention.
At the hearing, Jin Sun-mi, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out that all of the nominee's children had studied abroad early and demanded an apology to the public.
In response, the nominee explained, "The opportunity for my children to study abroad arose when I stayed in the United States as a visiting researcher for two years starting in 2001." She clarified, "My eldest daughter strongly wished to study abroad during high school, and the second daughter followed her sister," admitting she was unaware at the time that the second daughter's study abroad was against regulations, and expressed regret. Kim Moon-soo, another Democratic Party lawmaker, also raised issues regarding compulsory education non-completion and the maintenance of the second daughter's eligibility for national health insurance, demanding further explanations.
The nominee's thesis plagiarism allegations were also a major focus. Kim Dae-sik, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, criticized the nominee, stating that her thesis plagiarism rate reached 52~56% according to CopyKiller results, deeming her unfit for the role of Minister of Education. He also raised suspicions by pointing out that 17 to 21 tables appeared similarly in both the nominee's thesis and a student's thesis, questioning if they were "essentially the same thesis."
The nominee refuted the CopyKiller results as inaccurate. She explained, "CopyKiller's similarity rate increases whenever similar materials overlap, so experts must accurately set exclusion items to verify the true similarity rate." She emphasized that "In science and engineering, it is essential for professors and students to conduct joint research, and most theses are carried out as part of national projects or research projects commissioned by the supervising professor." She elaborated that the first author is determined considering the contribution between the supervising professor and graduate students according to the research foundation's guidelines, stating her contribution to the thesis was about 30% overall. However, she acknowledged her mistakes regarding typographical errors and omissions due to lack of attention. 

monarch@fnnews.com Kim Man-gi Reporter