Seoul, South Korea – Sookmyung Women’s University has finally concluded its nearly three-year investigation into allegations of plagiarism in first lady Kim Keon-hee’s master’s thesis, determining that plagiarism did occur.
The university reportedly sent a notice to Kim informing her of the committee’s decision, but it appears that she has not yet received it. Sookmyung stated that they have completed their investigation and informed the subject of the investigation, Kim Keon-hee. They added that they will announce the final results after going through the process of allowing for any objections.
However, the university also noted that they have not been able to confirm whether Kim has received the notice and that the final conclusion has not been reached yet. Sookmyung plans to finalize the plagiarism determination if Kim continues to avoid receiving the notice.
The thesis in question, titled "A Study on the Characteristics of Paul Klee's Paintings," was submitted to Sookmyung’s Graduate School of Education in 1999. Allegations of plagiarism first surfaced in late 2021, when Yoon Suk Yeol was a presidential candidate.
In August 2022, a group of Sookmyung professors conducted an independent investigation and claimed that the level of plagiarism in Kim’s thesis was as high as 54.9%. Despite this, Sookmyung delayed its official investigation.
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