◀ anchor ▶
Various suspicions about Kim In-cheol, the deputy prime minister of society and minister of education, are also continuing.
When I was serving as the president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, I also served as an outside director of a company.
Usually, to hold a concurrent position as an outside director, you need to get permission from the president, but it has been argued that candidate Kim gave the so-called ‘self-approval’ on his own.
It is said that he received a large amount of remuneration over 100 million won.
As the controversy over his qualifications grew, students urged the withdrawal of the nominations.
This news was covered by reporter Jung Young-hoon.
◀ Report ▶
This is a receipt for withholding income from earned income submitted to the National Assembly by Kim In-cheol, candidate for Minister of Education.
Candidate Kim received a salary of about 69 million won from Lotte Chemical in 2019 and 46 million won in 2018, a total of about 120 million won.
He also served as an outside director of the company at the time when he was the president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
Although the concurrent position itself is very unusual, suspicions of ‘self-approval’ have been raised.
The current Education Public Officials Act stipulates that if a professor concurrently serves as an outside director of a for-profit company, he or she must obtain the principal’s permission.
There is also an opinion that the review of concerns about a ‘conflict of interest’ has been properly conducted.
Candidate Kim has also served as an outside director of Lotte GRS, which operates Lotteria, etc., since last March after resigning as president.
Also, suspicions have been raised that he gave the right to manage and operate the dormitory for 20 years to a company in which he was a shareholder during his tenure as president without permission from the Ministry of Education.
Remarks in the past public hearings in the National Assembly seemingly defending ‘private school corruption’ are also controversial.
[김인철/교육부 장관 후보자(지난해 5월, 국회 공청회)]
“Should we not provide financial support to (corrupt) private universities? Even if corruption persists to some extent, we should provide financial support…”
Allegations of special credit for golf specialties, accounting irregularities, and the end of the day for students…
As the controversy over Kim’s qualifications intensified, a group of university students has called for the withdrawal of the nomination.
[이주원/전국대학학생회네트워크 전 의장]
“(Candidate Kim) is a corrupt administrative educator who ruined fair education. He is the one who exercised special credits and caused the ‘Jeong Yoo-ra case’.”
I asked Candidate Kim for clarification on related issues, but he avoided an immediate answer, saying that he would have an opportunity to explain through organized data rather than explaining one case at a time.
This is Young-Hoon Jung from MBC News.
Video coverage: Choi In-gyu, Lee Joo-hyuk / Video editing: Kim Ha-eun
MBC News awaits your report 24 hours a day.
▷ Tel 02-784-4000
▷ Email mbcjebo@mbc.co.kr
▷ KakaoTalk @mbc report
