South Korean First Lady Accused of Plagiarizing Thesis

Update 1/15/2025: According to a report by the South China Morning Post, Kookmin University, the school where Kim earned her PhD, has said they will reevaluate her PhD should her master’s degree be revoked.

To call the political climate in South Korea tense is a grand understatement.

On December 3, 2024, the country’s President, Yoon Suk Yeol, issued a martial law decree, creating six hours of “political chaos” that ended with parliament voting against the declaration and, eventually, Yoon rescinding it.

As of this writing, Yoon has been impeached by parliament and is avoiding arrest by hiding in his residence, which is protected by a private security service. Regardless, his grip on power is tenuous as he enjoys little support across the political spectrum.

However, even as that story unfolded, another potential political blow, albeit much less significant, was coming. Sookmyung Women’s University determined that Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, had plagiarized her 1999 master’s thesis.

The University presented those findings to her in December 2024, giving her until the end of this month to file an appeal.

While a plagiarism scandal amid these more significant controversies means very little, it’s still interesting to see how the story further harms Yoon’s legitimacy. It’s even more interesting when compared with her history, which includes another allegation of plagiarism.

Understanding the Allegations

In 1999, Kim submitted her thesis to Sookmyung Women’s University as part of receiving her master’s degree in education. She then went on to Kookmin University to obtain her PhD in 2008.

However, shortly after her husband took office in 2022, she was accused of plagiarizing both her thesis and dissertation.

Kookmin University undertook an eight-month probe into her dissertation. Though a group of academics determined that some 220 out of 860 sentences were copied and pasted from other sources, the school initially cleared her of plagiarism but, following the further outcry, said that the “statute of limitations of five years for verifying the papers has expired.”

However, Sookmyung Women’s University continued its investigation. In December 2024, they reached their initial findings and determined that Kim had plagiarized her thesis. Though no action has been recommended, the school is giving Kim until the end of this month to appeal the findings.

Kim, for her part, has said she will do so.

The two allegations of plagiarism are not Kim’s only run-ins with academic integrity. In 2021, she was accused of padding her resume with connections to the New York University Stern School of Business. She apologized for this and promised to focus on her role as Yoon’s spouse should he be elected.

The Weaponization of Plagiarism

To be clear, there isn’t much doubt that these cases are examples of the weaponization of plagiarism. The fact that the allegations only surfaced in late 2022, after Yoon was elected President, makes that very clear.

However, just because allegations are politically motivated doesn’t mean they are false. Though I do not speak or read Korean, the evidence of unattributed copying appears clear. The fact that Sookmyung Women’s University took over a year to reach its initial findings indicates that they took the process seriously and did not rush to judgment.

That said, the timing of these findings could not be worse for Yoon or Kim. Their position is precarious, and these allegations only fuel the idea that Yoon’s presidency is not legitimate.

The big question now is what, if anything, Sookmyung Women’s University will do. Assuming that Kim’s likely appeal fails, they have several options.

First, they could revoke Kim’s degree. This seems unlikely, as degree revocation is a drastic step that schools rarely undertake. This is especially true with high-profile cases.

If they did, what this would mean for Kim’s PhD is unclear.

A more likely outcome is that the school would require her to resubmit or correct the dissertation. This would allow Kim to keep her degree, and the school would avoid the legal headaches that would come with revocation. While likely not ideal for either party, it is the most practical outcome.

Still, it is up to the university to decide what action, if any, it will take.

Bottom Line

It’s important to remember that this is still an active story. Sookmyung Women’s University has only presented its initial findings. Kim still can appeal and says she will. Even if that appeal fails, we don’t know what action the school will take.

Against the backdrop of the political situation in South Korea, this is an incredibly minor story. However, it’s a story over a year in the making. Though its timing couldn’t have been worse for Kim or Yoon, it was going to happen.

Ultimately, this shows that the weaponization of plagiarism is not a phenomenon unique to one country or party. With modern technology, checking a political opponent’s past literary and academic works is trivial. Individuals and organizations have seized that opportunity.

Those entering politics should be aware of this and proactively check their work. It is much better to fix mistakes in advance than to wait for an opponent to seize upon them.

As unimportant as this case might be in the grand scheme of things, it should still serve as a warning to other political figures worldwide.