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A college admission scam victimizes athlete students

Posted August. 21, 2014 04:30,   

한국어

Police have caught 22 people including a broker, former and incumbent professors, and soccer team coaches for taking two billion won (19.5 million U.S. dollars) from parents of high school athlete students in return for guaranteeing admissions to universities in the Seoul metropolitan area. The Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency arrested seven people including Mr. Kim, 60, a physical education professor at a university in South Jeolla Province, Mr. Hyeon, 61, former soccer team coach at a university in North Gyeongsang Province, and Mr. Lee, 41, former soccer player at a professional team, and filed a preliminary arrest warrant to Mr. Ha, 60, former soccer team coach of a high school in Incheon. Fourteen people including Mr. Seo, honorary physical education professor at a university in Seoul, were indicted without detention. A broker, professors and coaches conspired this as they were either a teacher-student relationship or worked together as coaches.

Mr. Hyeon took 720 million won (7.05 million dollars) from January 2010 to August 2013 after the broker, introduced him 16 parents of high school seniors who belong to a soccer team. Mr. Hyeon said to the parents, “I am nominated as a soccer team coach of a university in Seoul. I will get your son admitted to the university as an athletic student.” Mr. Yoo, the university founder’s son-in-law, 83, was also indicted without detention as he played a role as a guarantor of Hyeon’s nomination.

Incumbent vice president of the South Jeolla chapter of the Korea Football Association, who is now arrested, got recommendations of high school graduates who failed to enter college, and deceived them by saying that he and Mr. Seo could help them get into the university. He received 450 million won (440,530 dollars) from 10 students.

Mr. Ha, for whom a preliminary arrest warrant is filed, took advantage of a contract-based department program, which grants a bachelor’s degree to students after creating certain departments and teaching students at a university without the Education Ministry’s approval for the training of employees of a company. He allegedly duped 55 parents as if a new soccer team would be created and took 810 million won (792.95 dollars).

Mr. Gu, 42, CEO of a security company in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province (with some 500 employees), who is indicted without detention, plotted with Mr. Ha and falsely employed 55 students to his company and get them admitted to three universities in Gyeonggi Province. They, in fact, deceived the students and their parents by bringing them to a field training or purchasing a bus with a university logo. When the Education Ministry detects the illegality, they got the students admitted to a different university each year. Physical education teachers at high schools who are indicted without detention introduced students who have well-to-do parents to the broker in return for receiving some money.