Corruption is Everywhere - Even South Korean Universities

South Korean professor receives commuted sentence in CNBlue singer case

By Elizabeth Shim

South Korean singer and member of band CNBlue Jung Yong-hwa (R) has apologized for a 2016 school admission controversy. File Photo by Yonhap

(UPI) -- A South Korean professor who illicitly helped the lead singer of boy band CNBlue gain admission to a doctoral program at a first-tier university has received a commuted sentence at a second trial.

The professor, who teaches at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, and identified only by his surname Lee, had initially received a 10-month sentence of imprisonment in his first trial, Yonhap reported Thursday.

After filing an appeal and being released on bail in December, Lee was sentenced to two years of probation by Seoul central district court.

CNBlue front man Jung Yong-hwa, who is currently completing his military service, had been admitted to a graduate studies program at the university without completing prerequisites and being absent at his interview.

Lee, who headed the department responsible for admissions, had given him a score for the interview where he failed to make his required appearance.

Not the only one

The South Korean court said Thursday Lee acted out of his own "personal interest" and that his actions did not benefit his university. An appellate court judge said Lee's decision had a detrimental impact on the prospects of other applicants to the program.

Lee is also accused of helping another celebrity, the singer Jo Kyu-man, in the admissions process, as well as the chairman of a publicly traded company, according to local news service Newsis.

I seriously hope Lee has been terminated from his position!

The admissions controversy cost Jung several media appearances in 2018. The singer issued an apology on his Instagram account for "causing trouble."

CNBlue is a Korean pop-rock band that began performing in 2009. It is one of the few groups that does not play pop or electronic pop music in the Korean music industry.

China’s Fallen Politburo Star gets Life Sentence for Corruption

Corruption is Everywhere - Certainly in Chinese politics

China's Sun Zhengcai, an ex-political star and one of the youngest Politburo members - seen as a potential contender for a top government position, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for corruption.

The former Communist Party Secretary was convicted of illegally accepting more than 170 million yuan (US $ 26.7 million) in bribes, according to the First Intermediate People’s Court of Tianjin.

Prosecutors also accused Sun of taking advantage of his position to seek profits for others in project bidding, project approval, enterprise operation and personnel promotion.

According to the prosecution, Sun had committed those crimes in the years between 2002 and 2017 during his time as a district party chief in Beijing, Minister of Agriculture, Political Bureau member of the CPC Central Committee and Party chief in north-eastern Jilin province and megacity Chongqing.

Sun pleaded guilty at an open court hearing held on April 12th. The large amount of illegally accepted money could have had Sun sentenced to death.

Chongqing, China

However, additional information that he told the investigation about his crimes and the fact that bribes were accepted by “designated parties” commuted the sentence. In order to retrieve his “illegal gains”, authorities are set to confiscate Sun’s property and he will be deprived of his political rights for the rest of his life.

The commutation here appears to refer to the 'life' sentence as opposed to the 'death' sentence.

Accused of seriously undermining the work of the state and disrupting the integrity rules for officials, Sun pledged to reform himself. One of the youngest members of the powerful Politburo, Sun told the court that he was going to accept the ruling with no intention to appeal it, Xinhua state news agency reported.

Xi has been promoting a massive anti-corruption campaign since he came to the office in 2012. Despite the fact that the campaign has been effective in prosecuting officials, some critics perceived this major ant-corruption crackdown as the president’s way of eliminating his political rivals.

In another recent high-profile case, high-ranking Chinese officer Zhang Yang, former chief of the powerful Central Military Commission’s (CMC) political work department, committed suicide while under investigation for bribery.

Those charged with serious bribery offenses are commonly sentenced to death in China. However the exact number executions is unknown as the figure is classified.

This is the communist way - eliminate your rivals to consolidate your power. Xi is probably doing just that. There is little doubt that just about anyone in the Politburo or any level of Chinese government can be accused of corruption. Only the most promising are likely to be. This ensures Xi's grip on power for many years to come, but also weakens the Politburo by eliminating some of its most talented and capable people. In the end, China will be weaker because of it.