Former professor gets 3.5 years for faking daughter's credentials using students

A former professor at Sungkyunkwan University has had his prison sentence finalized after being convicted of fabricating his daughter's academic achievements to secure her admission to dental school. The Supreme Court upheld a 3-year and 6-month prison sentence for the ex-professor, identified as Lee, who was found guilty of obstructing business and fraud.

Lee was accused of enlisting his graduate students to create fake research papers and awards for his daughter starting in 2012, when she was in high school. The scheme continued even after she enrolled in university, with Lee directing students to conduct experiments and write up findings for academic conferences. These fabricated credentials were then used in her application to Seoul National University's graduate program for dentistry.

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The act of undermining the fairness of admissions and causing public cynicism and distrust in the entire education system is of a bad nature.

In addition to manipulating his daughter's academic record, Lee also faced charges of fraud for allegedly misusing research funds. He reportedly took portions of the research personnel's salaries and fabricated participation records for students who did not work on the projects to secure research grants.

The lower courts condemned Lee's actions for undermining the fairness of the admissions process and eroding public trust in the education system. They noted that his actions likely deprived deserving students of opportunities in academic competitions and university admissions. The Supreme Court's decision affirmed these rulings, finding no errors in the application of law or evidence. Following the revelations, Lee was dismissed from the university in 2019, and his daughter's admission was revoked.

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There are no errors in violating the rules of experience, exceeding the limits of free judicial discretion, or misinterpreting the law.