One is shocked to learn that the prosecution is engaged in a preliminary investigation regarding corruption in the admissions process at Seoul Art High School and Yewon School. Both are reportedly suspected of having taken as much as tens of millions of Won from as many as around 100 incoming transfer students of the span of many years, and to have used teachers from private academies to bargain over the price of those many "donations." These schools are typical stops along the course taken to becoming members of the elite among Korea's artists. Many graduates later became prominent artists who brought recognition to their schools and the country. Who among current students or the alumni will tolerate having their schools' reputations used as means to make money?
A civic group went public with allegations at the start of 2005, and Seoul's board of education even performed a special audit. One doubts the prosecution's determination, therefore, since it is only now doing an inquiry. Still, you are left with little choice but to hope its investigation will uncover the concrete details. Meanwhile, there is one problem that is more pressing than the actual investigation; how were such activities even possible at these two schools?
Both institutions are operated by an educational foundation by the name of Ewha Art Schools, which in turn was once part of Ewha Schools, which used to operate Ewha Womans [sic] University and Ewha Girls' High School. There were not scandals like this back then. The problems began when the two schools under investigation were inherited by someone in a certain major conglomerate. The problems got worse when the company went bankrupt and the inheritor took flight overseas. It was then that there began to be allegations about bribery involved in getting students admitted or transferred in. According to a whistleblower, the person who is headmaster is also the chairperson of the board of trustees of the foundation and was directly responsible for doctoring with the results of the application process. The whistleblower says that the teachers responsible for reviewing applications had to go along because they would have been facing the person with authority over their jobs.
Had the foundation's board been subjected to public oversight and controls, and if the schools had been operated democratically by a legal entity, this would not have happened. It was the secretive nature of the board and the undemocratic nature of school administration that have hurt the honor of the schools and their students.
The Hankyoreh, 21 January 2006.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
