ID :
87408
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 19:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/87408
The shortlink copeid
Korean university fires back at Yale with new allegations in fake degree scandal
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean college said Monday it has filed
additional complaints against Yale University, which it accuses of trying to
cover up evidence relating to a high-profile fake degree scandal that has
blossomed into a US$50 million lawsuit.
Shin Jeong-ah, a disgraced former professor at Dongguk University in Seoul, was
charged with faking her educational background when seeking a job at the Buddhist
college, lying that she had a doctoral degree from the prestigious U.S.
institution.
Shin's romantic affair with a then senior presidential aide further
sensationalized the case, which has led to a fierce row between the two
universities over the erroneous verification of her Yale diploma.
Dongguk said that it had asked Yale in 2005 to verify documents submitted by Shin
about her doctoral degree and received confirmation by fax. But when Shin's
scandal broke in 2007, the U.S. university claimed that the faxed message was
fabricated and that it had never received requests from Dongguk to confirm Shin's
records.
In November 2007, Yale retracted its previous claims and said the confirmation by
fax was sent by mistake.
Officials at Dongguk University in Seoul, in a hastily called news conference,
said Monday they have found new evidence indicating Yale had known about their
requests for confirmation on Shin's degree and that the faxed response was an
error.
"The newly added evidence show that Yale officials had been aware of the case but
denied it, which shows that they were not taking our request seriously," Han
Jin-soo, vice-president of Dongguk, said during a news conference.
The evidence included e-mail communications among senior Yale administrative
officials worrying about the seriousness of Shin's case unfolding in South Korea
and concerns about the wrong fax response, all while Yale was denying receiving
requests from Dongguk.
Lawyers for Dongguk further accused Yale of bringing up irrelevant allegations
against the chairman of the board with the intent to damage the school's
reputation.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said
"there was no negligence or recklessness" on Yale's part although it made "an
honest mistake." Conroy also said the Korean university is seeking to shift the
blame for its own inadequate efforts onto Yale, pointing out that the chairman of
Dongguk's board was convicted of soliciting and receiving an illegal government
subsidy from Shin's lover, the former presidential adviser.
Outraged by the media reports, Dongguk said Yale has additionally damaged its
reputation after the 2007 scandal by citing a case that has nothing to do with
the lawsuit.
"By mentioning a case that is not related to the legal suit, Yale tried to change
the focus of the issue and destroyed our reputation. This could be a
'double-edged sword,' which could ultimately ruin Yale's reputation as well," Han
said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean college said Monday it has filed
additional complaints against Yale University, which it accuses of trying to
cover up evidence relating to a high-profile fake degree scandal that has
blossomed into a US$50 million lawsuit.
Shin Jeong-ah, a disgraced former professor at Dongguk University in Seoul, was
charged with faking her educational background when seeking a job at the Buddhist
college, lying that she had a doctoral degree from the prestigious U.S.
institution.
Shin's romantic affair with a then senior presidential aide further
sensationalized the case, which has led to a fierce row between the two
universities over the erroneous verification of her Yale diploma.
Dongguk said that it had asked Yale in 2005 to verify documents submitted by Shin
about her doctoral degree and received confirmation by fax. But when Shin's
scandal broke in 2007, the U.S. university claimed that the faxed message was
fabricated and that it had never received requests from Dongguk to confirm Shin's
records.
In November 2007, Yale retracted its previous claims and said the confirmation by
fax was sent by mistake.
Officials at Dongguk University in Seoul, in a hastily called news conference,
said Monday they have found new evidence indicating Yale had known about their
requests for confirmation on Shin's degree and that the faxed response was an
error.
"The newly added evidence show that Yale officials had been aware of the case but
denied it, which shows that they were not taking our request seriously," Han
Jin-soo, vice-president of Dongguk, said during a news conference.
The evidence included e-mail communications among senior Yale administrative
officials worrying about the seriousness of Shin's case unfolding in South Korea
and concerns about the wrong fax response, all while Yale was denying receiving
requests from Dongguk.
Lawyers for Dongguk further accused Yale of bringing up irrelevant allegations
against the chairman of the board with the intent to damage the school's
reputation.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said
"there was no negligence or recklessness" on Yale's part although it made "an
honest mistake." Conroy also said the Korean university is seeking to shift the
blame for its own inadequate efforts onto Yale, pointing out that the chairman of
Dongguk's board was convicted of soliciting and receiving an illegal government
subsidy from Shin's lover, the former presidential adviser.
Outraged by the media reports, Dongguk said Yale has additionally damaged its
reputation after the 2007 scandal by citing a case that has nothing to do with
the lawsuit.
"By mentioning a case that is not related to the legal suit, Yale tried to change
the focus of the issue and destroyed our reputation. This could be a
'double-edged sword,' which could ultimately ruin Yale's reputation as well," Han
said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
