Violation of Early Study Abroad Regulations... "Couldn't Overcome Parents' Will" Lee Jinsook Finally 'Apologizes'

[Financial News] Lee Jinsook, the nominee for Minister of Education, explained allegations of thesis plagiarism, controversy over early study abroad for her children, and lack of expertise in the educational field during the National Assembly personnel hearing on the 16th, while presenting her educational vision.
Lee Jinsook admitted that there were parts that were not meticulous, such as typos, during the process of writing the thesis. Nevertheless, she explained the uniqueness of science and engineering research, emphasizing that "joint research between a supervising professor and a student is common, and the first author is determined according to the contribution to the research." She also explained that only 29% of the papers she registered as the first author, and the rest she participated as a corresponding author. In response to the criticism that the plagiarism rate of her thesis reached 52~56% according to Copy Killer results, she stated, "The claim of a specific plagiarism rate is different from the facts," and explained, "Since the similarity rate increases whenever similar materials overlap in Copy Killer, a true similarity rate can be obtained only when an expert accurately sets the exclusion items for verification."
Regarding the issue of early study abroad for her children, especially unauthorized study abroad, she explained that she could not overcome her children's strong wishes as a parent. She then expressed her position, "I realized during the preparation process for the hearing that the study abroad of my second child was a violation of regulations," and "I sincerely apologize to the people." In this regard, she mentioned that during her tenure as president of Chungnam National University, she worked hard to create the 'CNU Honors Scholarship' for outstanding students who could not study abroad due to economic difficulties, showing her sincerity towards education.
Regarding the criticism of lacking experience in elementary, middle, and high school education, Lee Jinsook acknowledged that such concerns are natural. However, she holds a teaching certificate as a graduate of the teacher training department in architectural engineering education and emphasized, "I have been communicating with field teachers for a long time by being in charge of teaching practice and secondary teacher training." She promised, "If I take office, I will make efforts to communicate by visiting the field directly."
Meanwhile, Lee Jinsook expressed her ambition in her opening statement to do her best to successfully promote the educational policies of the Lee Jae-myung government based on the experience and concerns she has accumulated over the past 36 years as an educator. She presented four major policy goals for a strong K-education nation: △Strengthening the national responsibility for public education △Creating schools where teachers and students are happy △Fostering future talents through AI education innovation △Regional innovation and national balanced development through education. She specifically proposed a plan to foster regional hub universities and establish a system for the joint growth of national and private universities through 'Creating 10 Seoul National Universities.' She also emphasized focusing on protecting teachers' rights and caring for students' mental health, which are urgent issues in the educational field, and promoting educational policies through procedural rationality and communication with the field, related ministries, and experts.   

ahnman@fnnews.com Ahn Seung-hyun Kim Man-gi Reporter