Sookmyung Women's University Concludes Investigation into Kim Geon-hee's Master's Thesis Plagiarism

Sookmyung Women's University has reportedly concluded that Kim Geon-hee's master's thesis contains plagiarism, notifying her of the findings after a three-year investigation. On January 7, the university's Research Ethics Committee confirmed the results following multiple meetings and informed Kim of her right to contest the findings within the next 30 days. If she chooses to appeal, the committee will review her objections before issuing a final decision.

Kim Geon-hee, who graduated from Kyonggi University’s College of Fine Arts, obtained her master's degree in Art Education from Sookmyung Women's University in 1999 and a Ph.D. in Design from Kookmin University in 2008. The thesis in question is titled 'A Study on the Characteristics of the Paintings of Paul Klee,' a renowned Western artist.

In December 2021, a cable channel reported that an expert review indicated a 42% plagiarism rate in her master's thesis. The Sookmyung Women's University Alumni Association also claimed that their own analysis showed a minimum plagiarism rate of 48.1%. At that time, the ruling party, People Power Party, which included presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, argued that applying current standards to a thesis written 22 years ago was inappropriate, while figures from the progressive camp, including former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, called for a thorough investigation.

The university began a preliminary investigation in early 2022 and moved to a full investigation in December of the same year, but did not reach a clear conclusion until now. According to university regulations, a full investigation should commence within 30 days of the preliminary investigation's approval and be completed within 90 days. Sookmyung stated that extensions could be granted if justified.

In June of last year, Professor Moon Si-yeon, who had previously announced the intention to investigate Kim's thesis, was appointed as the 21st president of Sookmyung Women's University. During the presidential selection process, members of the Democratic Party publicly pressured the university to elect Professor Moon.

In contrast, Kookmin University concluded in August 2022 that Kim's doctoral thesis and three related journal articles were not plagiarized, despite allegations raised in July 2021.