Lately, Korean society was shocked because of the forging of degrees. The case of Shin Jeong-ah, a Dongguk University professor and director of the Gwangju Biennale, led to more forgers being discovered. Korean people were shocked about this situation.


According to the above mentioned survey, the times when people feel most tempted to forge their degrees are when they make their own resume and when others are promoted solely because of their qualifications. In fact, 66.5% of respondents answered that having no degree or a degree from a non-prestigious university was an obstacle when job searching.


For a long time, Koreans have been taught that degrees are very important. Korean people believe that degrees are necessary for success. Due to this atmosphere, we shouldn’t be surprised to hear about these forgery cases. They were an open secret that everyone knew about.


Several celebrities have forged their degrees or lied about their educational histories. Lee Ji-young, an instructor for the Korean Broadcasting System’s English program Good Morning Pops, said that she completed a master’s degree from the University of Brighton, England; however, she had only graduated from highschool. Lee Hyun-se, a popular cartoonist, also forged his degree as did Lee Chang-ha, an interior designer famous for the TV program Love House. The most well-known case was the previously mentioned Shin Jeong-ah. People were surprised at her career and started to have doubts about everybody’s degree and ability.


Why on earth do people forge their degrees? First of all, Korean society is sectarian in nature. The highest-ranking officials of the Korean government and business sector are people who have graduated from the top universities. They strengthen their group bonds and have a great effect on our society. A small number of these people control our society. Young students study to enter the top universities. Therefore, private education is booming, especially for students whose families can afford expensive private education. Naturally, wealth and power are continually transmitted. Excessive sectarianism can impede the will to challenge. If that continues, there will be more problems in our society.


Universities are considered gateways to success. Everyone believes that people who graduate from university can get good jobs and be treated well. Originally, universities were places for study, but these days students just want to get good jobs. Entering university is no longer a choice, but a necessity. If there were many ways to get jobs without graduating from university, universities would return to places where students pursue learning for its own sake, and people who don’t graduate would not be discriminated against.


Some argue that there are no other ways to verify individual’s abilities. Actually, various individual abilities can’t be verified easily. Some abilities can’t be known until after we have known a person for a long time, but people in modern society don’t have time to get to know each other well. Therefore, some people say that the verification of degrees can’t be helped. However, I think that people can prove their abilities by participating in tests or various competitions.


We now know why people are tempted to forge their degrees. The government should establish a verification system that can examine the authenticity of degrees. Above all, we have to change our idea that degrees are linked to abilities and capabilities. I hope that people who have their own individuality will appear and change our society for the better.