영훈국제중학교의 입시 비리와 관련 학생들의 성적 조작을 하고 이를 대가로 학부모들로부터 금품을 받아 챙긴 9명이 오늘 구속기소했다.

서울 북부지방검찰청은 오늘 영훈국제중 김하주 이사장을 포함 행정실장 임 모씨를 구속기소했다.

김 이사장과 행정실장 임 모씨는 특정 학생을 합격시키기 위해 성적 조작 등을 지시했다. 전 영훈중 교감 등 학교 관계자 7명을 불구속 기소하고 그밖에 학부모 6명 등을 약식기소했다.

이들은 2009년과 2013년 사이에 특정 학부모의 자녀를 입학시키는 대가로 총 현금 1억원을 받아 챙겼다. 김 이사장을 또한 17억원 가량을 횡령 혐의로 기소 된바 있다.

서울북부지검 검사는 “국제중 학생 선발과 관련 입학 대가로 금품을 수수한 사례는 이번이 처음“이라고 말했다.

영훈국제중은 올 초 이재용 삼성전자 부회장 아들이 사회적배려대상자 전형을 통해 입학한 후 논란의 대상이 됐다.

이재용 부회장 아들은 영훈중 신입생 모집 당시 한 부모 가정 자녀 자격으로 사회자 배려자 전형에 지원해 합격했다.

이재용 부회장 아들이 사회적 배려 대상자 전형을 통해 합격한 사실이 알려지면서 전형이 부유층 자제의 입학 도구로 쓰여지는 것은 본 취지와 맞지 않다며 비난을 받았다.

입학 논란 속 이재용 삼성전자 부회장은 공개 사과를 했으며, 현재 이재용 부회장의 아들은 중국 상하이로 유학 간 것으로 알려져 있다.

검찰은 학교 관계자 9명이 사회적 배려 대상 지원자 28명의 성적을 조작했으며, 일반 전형 지원자 839명의 성적 또한 조작했다고 말했다. 하지만, 검찰에서 삼성전자 부회장 아들이 입학을 위해 성적을 조작했는지에 대한 여부는 밝히지 않았다.

영훈국제중은 2009년 정부의 글로벌 인재 육성의 비전아래 세워진 특수목적학교이다. 하지만 이러한 특수목적 학교들이 비싼 등록금을 받으며, 입학 비리와 뒤얽혀 비난의 대상이 되고 있다.

서울시교육청은 3월 영훈국제중을 비롯해 대원국제중에 감사를 착수했다. 한 달여에 걸친 조사 후, 서울시교육청은 입학 비리에 연루된 관계자들을 처벌하기로 결정하고 이들을 검찰 소환 시켰다.

(코리아헤럴드 조정은 기자/ 번역 최인정 인턴기자)



<관련 영문 기사>

Nine elite school officials indicted over admissions fraud

By Cho Chung-un

The prosecution on Tuesday indicted nine officials from a popular international middle school in Seoul on charges of fabricating grades to grant admission to certain students in return for receiving bribes from their parents.

The Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office said it has indicted Kim Ha-joo, chairman of the board of Younghoon International Middle School, and the chief administrator identified only by his surname Yim. The two were indicted with physical detention, prosecutors said.

The two school officials are accused of ordering other faculty members to tamper with the grades of some students to give them unlawful admission into the school. The admission fraud also involved seven faculty members including a former vice principal. But they were indicted without physical detention, officials said. Six parents were also summarily indicted on bribery charges.

The nine officials are also accused of taking a total of 100 million won ($89,400) from parents in exchange for granting admission to their children between 2009 and 2013.

Additionally, chairman Kim was indicted of embezzling 1.7 billion won from the school’s funds for personal use. The 80-year-old chairman has partly admitted his wrongdoing, according to sources.

“This is the first bribery case discovered to be in exchange for granting admissions at international schools,” said prosecutor Choi Jong-won who led the two-month investigation.

The prosecution said the nine officials manipulated test scores of 28 students under the “special consideration” category. The officials also fabricated the grades of 839 students who applied to the school through the general category, they added.

To admit unqualified students, the officials rejected other applicants who had even higher scores. Particularly, in the special consideration category, they disqualified six out of eight applicants from social service institutions who had underprivileged family backgrounds. Of the six who failed to enter the school, five had passing grades, prosecutors said.

The school in northern Seoul came under fire after it was revealed earlier this year that Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jay-yong’s son was admitted through a special spot reserved for students with unusual family circumstances.

The son of the divorced heir of country’s biggest conglomerate was accepted to the school last year under “special consideration,” a category for children from single-parent households.

Reports of the 13-year-old’s special admission quickly triggered widespread criticism as the process had been created to embrace disadvantaged children, not as a tool to accept possibly unqualified students from rich families.

In the face of heated criticism, the Samsung heir issued a public apology and his son left the school. The son is reportedly in Shanghai.

Prosecutors, however, did not reveal whether the officials allegedly fabricated admission scores to favor the Samsung vice chairman’s son.

“It is difficult to reveal names of people involved in the case unless they are indicted, as part of an effort to protect their human rights,” Choi said.

Civic groups have urged the investigator and education authorities to thoroughly investigate the allegations that the officials tampered with the scores of Lee’s son.

Younghoon is a special-purpose school built in 2009 under the government’s vision of nurturing global talent. Such schools have been under heavy criticism, however, for charging expensive tuition and becoming embroiled in admission fraud scandals.

In March, the Seoul municipal education office launched an inspection into Younghoon and another private school, Daewon International Middle School. After a month-long audit, the education office ordered the schools to punish faculty members involved in admissions corruption and referred them to the prosecution.

(christory@heraldcorp.com)