Professor jailed for fabricating research to boost daughter's dental school application

A former Sungkyunkwan University professor has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison, with his prison sentence finalized by the Supreme Court. The charges stem from fabricating research and using graduate students to create a resume for his daughter's admission to Seoul National University's School of Dentistry. His daughter also received a guilty verdict, with a suspended sentence.

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Lee used graduate students, who could not refuse his unjust instructions, to conduct various experiments unrelated to their research and even manipulate data.

The professor, identified as Lee, was found to have directed graduate students to conduct experiments and ghostwrite papers based on fabricated results in 2016. These papers were then submitted for academic journals. His daughter used these falsified credentials to gain admission to the dental school in 2018.

Despite the pair's strong denial of the charges, both lower courts and the Supreme Court found them guilty. The first court condemned Lee for exploiting students who could not refuse his "unjust instructions" and manipulating data, stating their actions caused "emptiness and disappointment" to those who strived for fair competition. The appellate court further emphasized that their actions "undermined the education system and fair competition" and constituted a betrayal of students, parents, and admissions institutions.

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The admissions fraud committed by the two caused emptiness and disappointment to many who diligently worked for fair competition.

The scheme came to light in early 2019 through a special investigation by the Ministry of Education, which referred the case to prosecutors. Lee was dismissed from his professorship in June 2019. His daughter's admission was revoked in August of the same year, and her subsequent legal challenge was ultimately dismissed by the Supreme Court in March.

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Their actions undermined the education system and fair competition, and were a betrayal of students, parents, and admissions institutions, deserving of stern punishment.