PETALING JAYA, December 24 – Korean singer Hong Jin-Young admitted that she committed plagiarism in her master’s thesis back in 2009.
Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Chosun University is taking steps to abolish Hong’s master’s degree in commerce and his doctorate in business administration as a result.
“We have made a final verdict on plagiarism regarding Hong Jin-Young’s thesis and will therefore begin taking administrative measures to undo the degree,” a Chosun University spokesman said, based on a translation by Soompi.
Hong, 35, was gripped by controversy in early November after news surfaced that her master’s thesis had received a 74 percent rating on the Copy Killer plagiarism review page.
Report Kukmin Ilbo stated that of the 556 sentences in Hong’s thesis, 124 sentences had more than six words that matched other sources, along with 365 sentences suspected of being plagiarized.
Hong then issued a statement labeling the allegations as “malicious gossip” and said she “organized (her) time, talked to the professor and did (her) the absolute best to create a thesis.”
She also said she would willingly give up her master’s degree and doctorate to quell anger among social media users.
Hong then changed the tune after a research integrity commission from Chosun University’s Ethics Committee passed a trial trial on plagiarism on December 15 about her master’s thesis.
Three days later, she posted a handwritten apology on Instagram and admitted to plagiarizing material for her thesis.
Hong said she initially denied the allegations because she was in the middle of promoting her new single Never Ever and that she fears her music career will fail if she belongs.
She also said she accepted Chosun University’s decision and vowed to repent for her misdeeds.
“If a mistake is made, it must be properly apologized for and punished for it.
“Instead of thinking, I was just busy making excuses. I couldn’t act mature or adult. I made a mistake.
“I also behaved with great disrespect towards people who still work all day and night on their master’s and doctoral theses. I’m sorry, “Hong told her 2.1 million followers.
Hong previously holds a master’s degree in commerce and a doctorate in business administration from Chosun University.
She also graduated in trade from the same university.
The Love battery the singer made her debut in the music industry back in 2007 as a member of the short-lived female group Swan before starting her career as a solo artist in 2009.
She is best known for singing kaso, a genre of music popular among the older generation in South Korea.