SEOUL, KOREA- SaRang Community Church, a Presbyterian Church located in Seoul, South Korea, has argued that the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and King's College London all permit making alterations to PhD-winning theses even after PhD degrees have been awarded. SaRang Community Church, one of the mega churches located in Seoul, has been a lightning rod for controversy since Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh was found to have committed plagiarism in his PhD thesis titled “Disciple Making Preaching in the Light of New Testament: An Exegetic-Homiletical Study,” which was accepted by the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University (formerly known as the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education) in South Africa.
In an unsuccessful attempt to quell a public outcry over Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh’s academic misconduct, a presbyter at SaRang Community Church threw his weight behind Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh by saying on July 28 that ill-natured moves to do harm to Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh should be curbed since Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh earned his doctorate in a legitimate manner and since the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University allows making changes to a PhD dissertation after it has been accepted in the same way as any other prestigious British university.
Back in 1998, Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh of SaRang Community Church received a doctorate in theology from the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University. As he was suspected of having committed plagiarism in his doctorate thesis, the Potchefstroom campus said in an official document in May, “While it is clear to the Senate that plagiarism indeed occurs in the thesis, Senate decided not to withdraw the thesis and the 1998 award of the PhD degree to Dr. Oh.”
The Potchefstroom campus explained, “This is because the thesis still constitutes an original and significant contribution to the discipline, even if all the sections where plagiarism was identified, are removed.” Acknowledging that plagiarism was identified in 36 sections, the Potchefstroom campus asked Dr. Oh to make thorough corrections, including those stipulated by Senate, to the satisfaction of the Faculty and to submit corrected copies of the thesis to the Faculty.
The plagiarism controversy surrounding Dr. Oh seemed to come to an end after the highest legislative body for SaRang Community Church on June 30 decided not to further discuss the matter on the grounds that the Senate of the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University made its official statement on the issue.
However, the plagiarism controversy has been reignited as Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh’s another PhD-winning thesis on pastoral theology, accepted in 2005 by Biola University (a private evangelical Christian university located in Southern California), was put on the chopping board again.
This time, Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh has been at the receiving end of criticism for committing self-plagiarism in his PhD pastoral theology thesis, which is viewed as a blatant rehash of his previous plagiarism-ridden thesis that was accepted by the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University. Plagiarism was identified in 126 out of the total 194 pages and it turned out that he simply copied and pasted the entire pages or the whole paragraph of his previous doctoral thesis on his PhD pastoral theology thesis. Biola University has yet to reveal the findings of its investigation into this controversy, saying in replay that the thesis at issue is still under deliberation.
evidence of plagiarism (The 64-5 pages contain paragraphs plagiarized from his previous thesis that was accepted by Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University).
Amid Biola University being tight-lipped about the controversy, SaRang Community Church insists that the plagiarism controversy surrounding Pastor John Jung-Hyun has been properly taken care of. However, South Korean academic circles and some church members privy to what’s going on under the surface are united in condemning SaRang Community Church for covering for an unrepentant plagiarizer who stooped so low to hold on to his PhD degrees at the expense of the reputations of the Potchefstroom campus and Biola University.
Critics argue that obtaining another PhD degree by rehashing an undeniably plagiarism-ridden thesis is completely nonsense. And the Potchefstroom campus and Biola University also came under fire for sacrificing their reputations by refusing to withdraw the plagiarism-ridden theses and the PhD degrees awarded to Dr. Oh.
People are hissing at SaRang Community Church, saying SaRang Community Church is name-dropping such prestigious universities as Oxford University and Cambridge University to rationalize its support for Pastor John Jung-Hyun in the face of strong criticism against Potchefstroom University’s ill-thought-out decision to allow Pastor John Jung-Hyun to belatedly correct his doctoral dissertation.
Professor Yoon Ji-won at Korea University (located in Seoul), who had studied at Cambridge University, said, “If there is a need for making alternations to a thesis, appending errata to the thesis will do. Neither having a thesis laced with plagiarism accepted by the faculty in the first place nor transforming a plagiarism-ridden thesis into a brand-new, plagiarism-free one by making changes to it after a PhD degree has already been awarded is possible at the University of Cambridge.
evidence of plagiarism (The 78-9 pages contain paragraphs plagiarized from his previous thesis that was accepted by Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University).
Having been slapped with a 6-month suspension from delivering a sermon in church, Pastor John Jung-Hyun has removed himself from public ministry to have time for self-restraint and self-examination since mid-March. Meanwhile, Pastor John Jung-Hyun, who has also been mired in a legal imbroglio in which he was sued for embezzlement, breach of trust and document fabrications in July, is likely to return to SaRang Community Church sometime in September.
In South Korea, knowledge holds the key to all the resources and symbolizes wealth, fame and power. That’s why people cannot help casting a wary eye on any sorts of attempts at knowledge theft, especially plagiarism in theses and fabricated academic records.
As a matter of fact, Korean society has witnessed numerous social dignitaries making public apologies and bowing out of their socially coveted positions following controversies over plagiarism in theses or fake academic backgrounds. The public has become inured to watching dishonest dignitaries falling from grace. The practice of seeking strong punishments for the wrongful distribution and misuse of knowledge has put down roots in Korean society.
When suspicions first emerged over Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh committing plagiarism in this doctoral thesis accepted by the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University, Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh mentioned, “If any evidence of my academic wrongdoing was found, I will resign from the pastoral-in-charge position I have held at SaRang Community Church.”
It is uncertain how much spiritual enlightenment Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh would achieve by the end of the 6-month-long self-examination. Yet, that Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh, as a pastor at one of South Korea’s mega churches, is able to stand his ground without making any apology for the fact that he is guilty of plagiarism constitutes a retrogression in the entire South Korean church community. Pastor John Jung-Hyun Oh and SaRang Community Church should be wary of the public’s growing skepticism over them if they reckoned that the plagiarism controversy would fade out in a situation where SaRang Community Church’s controversial relocation to Seocho-dong in Seoul, which is less than two months away, serves as a diversion.
SEOUL, KOREA- 사랑의교회는 영국의 명문대인 옥스퍼드, 캠브리지, 킹스 칼리지가 학위 수여 후 논문수정을 허용한다고 주장했다. 서울에 있는 대형교회인 사랑의교회는 오정현 목사가 지난 1998년 남아공 포체스트롬 대학에서 박사학위를 받을 때 작성한 논문 <Disciple Making Preaching in the Light of New Testament: An Exegetic-Homiletical Study>의 표절문제를 기점으로 분란을 겪고 있다.
이에 대해 지난 7월 28일, 오목사를 지지하는 한 장로가 영국의 명문대처럼 남아공의 포체스트롬 대학도 학위 수여 후 논문 수정을 허용한 것일 뿐, 오목사가 정상적으로 학위를 취득했으니 더 이상 오목사를 음해하지 말라고 발언해 논란을 야기했다.
사랑의교회 오정현 담임목사는 1998년 포체스트롬 대학에서 신학박사 학위를 받았다. 지난 해 그의 논문이 표절의혹에 휩싸이자 이 대학은 지난 5월 보고서 형식의 공문을 답신으로 보내왔다.
대학측은 “오목사의 논문 곳곳에 표절의 흔적이 있음은 분명하지만(plagiarism indeed occurs in the thesis) 오목사에게 수여한 박사학위를 취소하지 않겠다”면서 오목사의 박사학위가 유효하다는 입장을 밝혔다.
즉, 논문에 표절로 보이는 부분은 있지만 논문의 독창성(still constitutes an original)과 학문적 기여도(significant contribution to the discipline)가 여전히 인정되고 있다고 판단한 것이다.
그러나 포체스트롬 대학은 구체적으로 36곳에 표절이 있음을 인정한 후 표절과 관련된 부분은 수정해야 하며 밝혀지지 않은 표절부분 또한 수정해서 제출할 것을 오목사에게 요구했다.
오목사의 논문 표절논란은 지난 6월 30일, 담임목사/장로들로 구성된 교회 최고 의결기구인 당회가 “노스웨스트대(구 포체스트룸대)의 최종 공식 의견이 있었으므로 더 이상 논의하지 않는다”는 결론을 내리면서 일단락되는 듯 했다.
그러나 최근, 오목사가 2005년 미국의 바이올라 대학에서 목회학 박사학위를 취득하려고 제출한 논문이 다시 한 번 도마에 오르면서 논란이 재점화되었다.
오 목사가 바이올라 대학에 제출한 논문이 포체스트롬 대학의 논문을 거의 그대로 베낀 심각한 ‘자기표절’이라는 것이다. 그의 목회학 논문전체 194쪽 중 126쪽에서 포체스트롬 대학의 논문 표절부분이 발견되었으며 그것도 대부분 한 페이지 또는 문단전체를 베낀 것으로 드러났다.
이에 대해 바이올라 대학은 ‘논문심의 중’이라는 답신만 보내 왔을 뿐, 아직도 판정 결과를 밝히지 않고 있다.
<사진> 바이올라 대학 논문 p.64-5 (빨갛게 표시한 부분이 자기 표절한 포체스트롬 논문 페이지)
이처럼 바이올라 대학이 침묵을 지키고 있는 가운데 교회측은 오정현 목사의 논문문제가 일단락되었다고 연거푸 주장하고 있다. 이에 속사정을 아는 일부 교인들과 지식인들은 사랑의교회와 두 대학을 거세게 비난하고 있다.
표절한 논문을 다시 자기표절하여 2개의 박사학위를 취득한 것이 상식적으로 가능한 일이냐는 것이다. 자기 대학의 명성을 이처럼 바닥에 떨어뜨린 논문을 취소시키지 않는 대학 당국이나, 학위를 받은 대학의 명성이 자신의 잘못으로 인해 타격을 입든 말든 버티는 목사나, 이를 지지하고 침묵하는 교회측이나 모두가 비난받아 마땅하다고 말한다.
이들은 포체스트롬이 학위 수여후 논문수정을 허용하는 후진적 행태를 보였다며 성도들의 비난이 거세지자, 이를 합리화시키기 위해 명문인 옥스퍼드나 캠브리지를 물고 들어간 게 아니냐며 사랑의 교회측의 처사를 힐난하고 있다.
실제로 캠브리지 출신인 고려대 윤지원 교수는 “논문에 수정할 게 있으면 정오표(Errata)를 제출하면 그만”이라며 표절흔적이 있다면 처음부터 논문이 통과조차 안 될뿐더러 제출된 논문을 수정해서 바꿔치기 하는 것 역시 캠브리지에서는 불가능한 일이라고 말했다.
<사진> 바이올라 대학 논문 p.78-9 (빨갛게 표시한 부분이 자기 표절한 포체스트롬 논문 페이지)
한편, 오정현 목사는 지난 3월 중순부터 논문 표절 여부와 관련해 당회로부터 6개월간 설교 중지 처분을 받아 현재 교회를 떠나 자숙하고 있다.
지난 7월 그는 횡령, 배임, 사문서위조 혐의로 피소되었으나 9월중 교회로 복귀할 것으로 보인다.
한국에서 지식은 모든 자원의 근간이요 돈이고 명예이며 힘을 상징한다. 그렇기에 우리는 남의 지식을 도용하는 모든 일들-특히 표절이나 학력위조에 대해서는 날카로운 시선을 보일 수밖에 없다.
실제로 우리는 표절이나 학력의혹을 불러 일으켰던 수많은 사회 저명인사들이 결국 머리를 숙이고 그 자리에서 물러나는 등 이 사회로부터 방출당하는 사례들을 무수히 지켜보아왔다. 대중들은 그들의 몰락에 대해 더 이상 민감하게 반응하지 않는다. 지식의 허위유포/오용에 대한 강력한 처벌은 너무나도 당연한 ‘사회풍토’ 로 자리잡아가고 있다.
포체스트롬 박사학위 논문표절문제가 처음 수면위로 떠올랐을 때 오목사는 “박사 학위 논문에 대한 대필이나 표절 등 그 어떤 부정적인 증거라도 나온다면 사랑의교회 담임목사직에서 사퇴하겠다”고 했다.
6개월간의 자숙기간동안 목사자신이 얼마만큼의 영적상승을 실현했는지는 모르나, 한국 대형교회의 수장으로서 논문표절 사실에 대해 제대로 된 사과 한 마디 없이 여전히 자리를 부지하고 있는 현실은 한국교회의 퇴보를 의미하는 행태다. 사랑의교회의 서초예배당 입당이 두 달여 남짓 남은 시점에서 여론이 혼란한 틈을 타, 과거 자신의 발언을 포함한 그 모든 것이 잊혀졌을 거라고 보기에는 지켜보는 이들의 눈이 매섭다는 것을 오목사와 교회측은 명심해야 한다.