“30 years ago during my graduate school days, I quoted newspaper articles verbatim… There was a mistake”
Controversy over thesis plagiarism… “If the plagiarism rate is below 10%, it’s acceptable”,
Kang Min-soo, the candidate for the head of the National Tax Service, at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly Budget Committee in Yeouido, Seoul on the 16th. 2024.7.16/News1 ⓒ News1 Kim Min-ji Reporter,
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, ‘(Sejong=news1) By Lee Cheol, Lim Sewon, and Son Seung-hwan = Kang Min-soo, the candidate for the head of the National Tax Service, on the 16th expressed sincere apologies to those who are hurt by the historical perception controversy that arose from his master’s thesis.’,
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, ‘On this day, at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly Budget Committee in Yeouido, Seoul, Candidate Kang stated this in response to the questions of Park Sung-hoon from the People Power Party and Cha Kyu-geun from the Korea Innovation Party.’,
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, “In his master’s thesis in 1995, Candidate Kang described the May 18 democratization movement as the ‘Gwangju Uprising’ and the December 12 military coup as the ‘Jeosah’ incident.”,
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, ‘Regarding this, Candidate Kang said, “When I was a graduate student 30 years ago, I made a big mistake by quoting newspaper articles verbatim without much reflection. Looking back now, I regret that I should have included more accurate citations throughout the thesis.”‘,
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, ‘He further explained, “I started my university life in the late 1980s. I know how painful and significant the May 18 democratization movement was, laying the foundation for freedom and democracy in South Korea.”‘,
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, ‘He said, “Regardless of the reasons, I am truly sorry for causing controversy and hurting your feelings.”‘,
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, ‘However, regarding the plagiarism controversy surrounding his master’s thesis, Candidate Kang countered by saying, “As far as I know, a plagiarism rate below 10% is considered quite acceptable.” Previously, Candidate Kang’s side explained that the plagiarism rate of the master’s thesis was 4%.\n’