[2026 National Assembly Audit] Park Beom-kye: "I've Never Seen Corruption Like This"... aSSIST Faces University Privatization Allegations

Oct. 23: Alleged corruption at Seoul School of Integrated Sciences & Technologies comes under scrutiny at National Assembly Education Committee audit
9 of 12 directors are relatives or acquaintances of Cho Dong-sung
Park Beom-kye: "I've investigated

At a parliamentary audit, allegations were raised that 9 of the 12 board members of Seoul School of Integrated Sciences & Technologies (aSSIST University) have personal ties to Chair Professor Cho Dongsung, chair of the Development Advisory Committee and chairman of Gyeongin Broadcasting, including family and personal relationships. It was alleged that Professor Cho wielded influence over the board, personnel matters, and finances without having formal authority over the university’s operations.

At the National Assembly Education Committee’s comprehensive parliamentary audit on October 23, Park Beomgye of the Democratic Party of Korea raised allegations of various irregularities at aSSIST University involving Professor Cho, saying, “I have tried numerous corruption cases and observed many as Minister of Justice, but I have never seen anything like this.”

Yonhap News Agency

Park said, “The board was completely taken over by Professor Cho Dongsung, who is neither the president nor the board chair but a chair professor, and various irregularities and distortions have continued to occur through him. Nine of the 12 board members have personal ties to Professor Cho. They are all his daughter, daughter-in-law, students, or his children’s friends.”

Park also raised questions about the nominal position held by Professor Cho’s son and the improper hiring of his son-in-law. Park said, “Seven days after resigning as a board member, his son was appointed head of the university’s Planning and Innovation Center and has received more than 137 million won in salary to date. However, there are no records of actual work whatsoever, including attendance, building access, work-related outputs, approval requests, or an internal account.”

Regarding the hiring process for his son-in-law as a full-time professor, Park said, “His son-in-law, Min Yongtaek, had only one research publication. The competing candidate had 67 research publications, but his son-in-law was hired.” He added, “At this university, the people involved in approving the hiring of the son-in-law as a full-time professor included his uncle by marriage, who conducted the review; his father-in-law, Cho Dongsung, who took part in the interview; and the son-in-law’s own wife, who voted on the decision.”

Questions were also raised about the purchase of real estate owned by a corporation with special ties to the educational foundation. The university purchased the Bukahyeon Building, owned by the Seoul Future Forum, whose representatives include Professor Cho and his son. It was also pointed out that the appraised value rose from an initial 4.33 billion won to around 4.5 billion won in the process.

“I have never seen anything like this,” Park said, adding, “For Cho Dongsung, [aSSIST University] is paradise and heaven.”

He also criticized the university, saying that eight cases of workplace harassment and two cases of sexual harassment had been confirmed, and described the photos as “truly nothing short of embarrassing.”

In response, Education Minister Choi Kyojin said, “I had heard that various allegations were being raised through the e-People portal and the Center for Private School Corruption, but I did not know they were this serious. If these allegations are true, I think we should verify the facts, conduct an audit, thoroughly investigate the matter, and take appropriate action.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.