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science and culture last Friday but has requested that his official appointment be postponed due to allegations that he committed self-plagiarism on two separate occasions.

Cheong Jean-gon, who on June 20 was named senior presidential secretary for education, science and culture, was found to have allegedly published the same research paper in two different academic journals by changing the paper’s title and some of its content. Another accusation was launched at him on June 23, the same day that Cheong asked the presidential office to put his appointment on hold following media reports accusing him of having committed self-plagiarism by allegedly publishing another of his research papers in both a regular magazine and an academic journal with few changes. Critics say the fresh accusation is more problematic because Cheong was alleged to have published a similar research paper in two different academic journals that are both registered by the Korea Research Foundation.

In August 1999, Cheong published a research paper titled “A Critical Analysis of the Meaning of Self-Regulation at Alternative Schools : Based on Summerhill School,” in the academic magazine “Education Philosophy,” which is published by the Philosophy of Education Society of Korea. In November 2000, another paper written by Cheong, titled “A Critical Analysis of Education Ideology at Alternative Schools” was printed in the academic magazine “Open Education,” published by the Korea Association of Yeolin (Open) Education.

The two papers are almost identical in terms of research purpose, methods, and results. Only the titles differ. The two papers present a critical analysis of liberty as conceptualized in the education philosophy of South Korea’s alternative schools using Summerhill School, a British boarding school, as an example. In particular, the 21 paragraphs that form the conclusion of the second paper are identical to those of the first paper. Both papers also contain many of the same paragraphs throughout.

Accordingly, Cheong has been accused of restructuring the same paper to try to make a different one. Seo Yu-seok, the chairman of the Korea Association of Academic Organizations, said, “If the research purpose, method, and results are all the same, the two papers are viewed as the same paper, even if some lines are added to the body. If he deliberately changed the title and sentences to make them look different, he may as well give up his basic ethics as a scholar, beyond the level of self-plagiarism.”

In response, Cheong said, “The second paper is different from the first because it introduced the concept of alternative schools and presented case studies of schools in Korea. The reason why the conclusion and some of the other parts are the same is because my skills are insufficient.”

Meanwhile, some media outlets reported that Cheong had published his almost-identical research paper in two different academic journals, an issue of the journal “Education Research Information” from 1996 published by an education research institute in Gangwon Province, and an issue of the journal “Education Collection of Treaties” from 1997 published by an education research center at Hanyang University.

Regarding the reports, Cheong said, “According to the standards of the time, I didn’t think deeply about duplicate publications when I contributed the paper to a monthly magazine and other academic journals. I’m sorry for not acting in a clear manner.”

In a press briefing on the same day, presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said, “Cheong himself asked that his appointment be postponed until a fair judgment is made by the academic community.” Lee went on to quote Cheong as saying that the issue could become a burden to President Lee Myung-bak.

Cheong did not attend the ceremony held later that day during which senior presidential aides were formally appointed, including the president’s chief of staff.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]