Shin Jeong-ah
Encyclopedia
Shin Jeong-ah once known as the "art world's Cinderella," is a former assistant professor of art at Dongguk University
and chief curator at Sungkok Art Museum who created a national scandal in South Korea
shortly after her appointment in July 2007 as joint artistic director of the 2008 Gwangju Biennale
. It was revealed that she had forged her academic credentials in 2005 prior to being hired by Dongguk University.
.
(1994) and MBA (1995) degrees at the University of Kansas
, and a Ph.D.
from Yale University
in April 2005. Shin submitted to Dongguk what she said was her dissertation, "Guillaume Apollinaire: Catalyst for primitivism, for Picabia and Duchamp," which was later revealed to have been submitted to the University of Virginia in 1981 by Ekaterini Samaltanou-Tsiakma.
Shin is only a high school graduate.
Yale also noted that Dongguk failed to take action after the Korea College Art Association reported she had not received her doctorate from Yale. Dongguk fired Shin on July 20, 2007, "long after Shin's lies unraveled," court papers said. Yale also responded by saying that in addition to Dongguk's delayed reaction to the notice and own involvement in the scandal, “we think the jury will certainly consider the fact that the chairman of Dongguk’s board was convicted of soliciting and receiving an illegal government subsidy from Ms. Shin’s lover, who was an adviser to the Korean president.”
A South Korean court handed down a suspended one-year jail term to former presidential aide, Byeon Yang-kyoon, with whom Shin was romantically linked. Shin and Byeon made headlines in 2007 after Byeon used his influence to get Shin hired by Dongguk University. He was forced to step down as an aide to then-President Roh Moo-hyun because of the scandal. Byeon was ordered to conduct 160 hours of community service for exercising his influence to provide state tax benefits to a Buddhist temple founded by a former Dongguk University
official who helped hire Shin as a professor.
In the course of reporting on Shin's troubles, daily newspaper Munhwa Ilbo
printed nude photos of Shin on 13 September 2007, claiming that they were evidence of her inappropriate relationship with Byeon Yang-kyoon. However, the KPEC rejected Munhwa Ilbos explanation, and ordered the daily to apologise, stating that they had damaged the dignity of all print media. Shin's lawyer stated that she planned to sue the newspaper for libel. Munhwa Ilbo published the apology on the front page of their 18 October 2007 edition; however, the apology itself attracted criticism from the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, and the KPEC indicated that they would review the matter again to decide whether the newspaper's statement actually constituted a proper apology. In the end, Shin filed suit over the photos and the newspaper's coverage of her, receiving W
150 million (US$
113,000) in compensation in December 2008.
is 16-episode MBC Television series that is loosely based on Shin Jeong-ah's story.
Dongguk University
Dongguk University is a private, coeducational university in South Korea. It operates campuses in Seoul, in Gyeongju City, North Gyeongsang province and in Los Angeles, United States...
and chief curator at Sungkok Art Museum who created a national scandal in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
shortly after her appointment in July 2007 as joint artistic director of the 2008 Gwangju Biennale
Gwangju Biennale
The Gwangju Biennale, which started in September 1995 in the city of Gwangju in the South Jeolla province of South Korea, was Asia's first contemporary art biennale. The purpose of Gwangju Biennale is globalization of art and it respect diversity rather than uniformity...
. It was revealed that she had forged her academic credentials in 2005 prior to being hired by Dongguk University.
Early life
Shin claims that when she was 23, she was rescued after 8 hours of being trapped amid the rubble of the Sampoong Department Store collapseSampoong Department Store collapse
The Sampoong Department Store collapse was a structural failure that occurred on June 29, 1995 in the Seocho-gu district of Seoul, South Korea...
.
Educational background
While applying to Dongguk University and the 2008 Gwangju Biennale, Shin said she had obtained BFABachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
(1994) and MBA (1995) degrees at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in April 2005. Shin submitted to Dongguk what she said was her dissertation, "Guillaume Apollinaire: Catalyst for primitivism, for Picabia and Duchamp," which was later revealed to have been submitted to the University of Virginia in 1981 by Ekaterini Samaltanou-Tsiakma.
Shin is only a high school graduate.
2005
- 1 September 2005 – Dongguk University, a Buddhist-affiliated university, hires Shin as an assistant professor with the strong backing of Hong Ki-sam, then-president of Dongguk. Questions arise as to her credentials after the art department rejects hiring her because of her lack of academic background saying that she studied Western art history and not Buddhist art history, the departments's focus.
- 5 September 2005 – A Dongguk University administrator sends a registered letter to Yale University Graduate School Associate Dean Pamela Schirmeister, requesting that she verify the authenticity of a letter that Shin had presented to Dongguk as a certification of her degree during the hiring process.
- 22 September 2005 – Schirmeister confirms via fax that Shin received her doctorate from Yale, stating that "I am confirming that the attached letter was issued by the Yale Graduate School and signed by me."
2007
- April 2007 – The Korea College Art Association reports that Shin's diploma is a forgery after receiving a letter from Professor Christine Mehring of Yale University saying that Shin was never one of her students and that she had never read any papers written under her name.
- 11 June 2007 – Yale University informs Dongguk University that Shin did not receive a doctorate from them, stating that the degree confirmation fax letter sent in 2005 by Schirmeister is "not authentic" and a forgery. Yale also tells Korean media that it had not received a registered letter in 2005 asking whether Shin had received a doctorate from Yale.
- 4 July 2007 – Shin is appointed as artistic co-director of the 2008 Gwangju Biennale, Korea’s biggest arts event.
- 11 July 2007 – Lee Sang-il, Dongguk University’s dean of academic affairs, holds a press conference on campus, stating that "Yale University notified us that Shin has never registered with the school, let alone received a doctoral degree."
- The University of Kansas tells Yonhap News Agency that although Shin attended the school from 1992 to 1996, she did not graduate.
- 12 July 2007 – Gwangju Biennale foundation revokes its decision to appoint Shin as co-director of its 2008 event.
- 16 July 2007 – Shin flies to New York and begins her stay in the U.S. saying she would go to Yale to collect evidence that can prove her innocence that can clarify her claims.
- 20 July 2007 – Dongguk University fires Shin for fabricating her academic records including a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and a doctorate from Yale University.
- Dongguk University also files complaints to the prosecution for further investigation on others involved in the scandal.
- August 2007 – Dongguk University sends Yale University an e-mail saying it had located the U.S. Postal Service tracking record showing that its 2005 registered letter was signed by a Yale staff member.
- 11 October 2007 – Shin and Byeon are imprisoned.
- 29 December 2007 – Yale University officials issue a statement expressing both their regrets and admitting to the error.
Lawsuit
On 27 March 2008, Dongguk University sued Yale University for at least $50 million, claiming Yale's actions has "severely tarnished" its stellar reputation, sparked a criminal probe, cost employees their jobs, and led to a decline in donations, government grants and student applications. Yale calls the error an administrative mistake and states the lawsuit is without merit.Yale also noted that Dongguk failed to take action after the Korea College Art Association reported she had not received her doctorate from Yale. Dongguk fired Shin on July 20, 2007, "long after Shin's lies unraveled," court papers said. Yale also responded by saying that in addition to Dongguk's delayed reaction to the notice and own involvement in the scandal, “we think the jury will certainly consider the fact that the chairman of Dongguk’s board was convicted of soliciting and receiving an illegal government subsidy from Ms. Shin’s lover, who was an adviser to the Korean president.”
A South Korean court handed down a suspended one-year jail term to former presidential aide, Byeon Yang-kyoon, with whom Shin was romantically linked. Shin and Byeon made headlines in 2007 after Byeon used his influence to get Shin hired by Dongguk University. He was forced to step down as an aide to then-President Roh Moo-hyun because of the scandal. Byeon was ordered to conduct 160 hours of community service for exercising his influence to provide state tax benefits to a Buddhist temple founded by a former Dongguk University
Dongguk University
Dongguk University is a private, coeducational university in South Korea. It operates campuses in Seoul, in Gyeongju City, North Gyeongsang province and in Los Angeles, United States...
official who helped hire Shin as a professor.
In the course of reporting on Shin's troubles, daily newspaper Munhwa Ilbo
Munhwa Ilbo
-History:Munhwa Ilbo was formerly owned by the Hyundai chaebol; however, Hyundai relinquished their control of the newspaper after the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, at the same time as their competitor Hanwha gave up its own daily, the Kyunghyang Shinmun...
printed nude photos of Shin on 13 September 2007, claiming that they were evidence of her inappropriate relationship with Byeon Yang-kyoon. However, the KPEC rejected Munhwa Ilbos explanation, and ordered the daily to apologise, stating that they had damaged the dignity of all print media. Shin's lawyer stated that she planned to sue the newspaper for libel. Munhwa Ilbo published the apology on the front page of their 18 October 2007 edition; however, the apology itself attracted criticism from the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, and the KPEC indicated that they would review the matter again to decide whether the newspaper's statement actually constituted a proper apology. In the end, Shin filed suit over the photos and the newspaper's coverage of her, receiving W
South Korean won
The won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and appears only in foreign exchange rates...
150 million (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
113,000) in compensation in December 2008.
In popular culture
Miss RipleyMiss Ripley
Miss Ripley is 16-episode MBC Television series loosely based off of Shin Jeong-ah case.-Plot:The series follows Jang Mi-ri who uses greed due her troubled past and two men in her life caused her downfall.-Cast:*Lee Da Hae as Jang Mi-ri...
is 16-episode MBC Television series that is loosely based on Shin Jeong-ah's story.