The Democratic Party of Korea on October 11 called for a thorough investigation into allegations surrounding the daughter of independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon. They demanded clarity on whether Han, who was the Minister of Justice at the time, was involved in the police's handling of an international judicial cooperation request that was not forwarded.
Recently, allegations have emerged in political circles regarding Han's daughter, including claims of thesis ghostwriting and copyright infringement related to an e-book.
Spokesperson Jo Gye-won held a press conference at the National Assembly, stating, "Do not try to brush this off with the term '0.99 dollar copyright.' You need to clarify what reports you received during the process of the police's cooperation request and how you assessed any potential conflicts of interest."
Jo added, "We received a brief response from Han, accompanied by derogatory remarks. He claimed that his daughter obtained permission from a foreign copyright holder regarding the e-book she sold. If that is the case, why did the prosecution not forward the police's request for international judicial cooperation?"
He continued, "The prosecutor cited as a reason for not forwarding the request that 'sending a $0.99 case to the U.S. would be 100% rejected.' However, $0.99 is not a copyright fee; it is the selling price of an e-book created by copying someone else's math problems. The prosecution measured the severity of the crime by the book price, which is concerning. If she not only copied but also sold it commercially, that constitutes a serious criminal act."
Regarding the allegations of thesis plagiarism and ghostwriting, Jo stated, "The thesis information includes the name Benson, who claims to have authored the paper. Han has denied knowing him. It is essential to clarify who the actual author is and how the name Benson ended up in the document."
He also emphasized, "If the 20,000 hours of volunteer work attributed to his daughter is cumulative from a group, the names of the organization and the individual volunteer hours should be disclosed. It must also be clarified whether this record was submitted for the 2021 Seoul Citizen Award and the 2020 Incheon City commendation." He insisted that the same rigorous standards applied to others should also apply to his family.
Senior Spokesperson Park Seong-jun also demanded a reinvestigation by the police into the allegations of ghostwriting concerning Han's daughter. In a statement, he remarked, "Surprisingly, a high school freshman produced five papers and four e-books in just two months. Even more astonishing is that the name of the ghostwriter, Benson, was prominently included in the thesis files."
He added, "For four years, Han has offered nothing but cowardly silence and feeble excuses regarding Benson's identity. If the standards he applied to others stop at his own family, that is not fairness; it is privilege."
Recently, allegations have emerged in political circles regarding Han's daughter, including claims of thesis ghostwriting and copyright infringement related to an e-book.
Spokesperson Jo Gye-won held a press conference at the National Assembly, stating, "Do not try to brush this off with the term '0.99 dollar copyright.' You need to clarify what reports you received during the process of the police's cooperation request and how you assessed any potential conflicts of interest."
Jo added, "We received a brief response from Han, accompanied by derogatory remarks. He claimed that his daughter obtained permission from a foreign copyright holder regarding the e-book she sold. If that is the case, why did the prosecution not forward the police's request for international judicial cooperation?"
He continued, "The prosecutor cited as a reason for not forwarding the request that 'sending a $0.99 case to the U.S. would be 100% rejected.' However, $0.99 is not a copyright fee; it is the selling price of an e-book created by copying someone else's math problems. The prosecution measured the severity of the crime by the book price, which is concerning. If she not only copied but also sold it commercially, that constitutes a serious criminal act."
Regarding the allegations of thesis plagiarism and ghostwriting, Jo stated, "The thesis information includes the name Benson, who claims to have authored the paper. Han has denied knowing him. It is essential to clarify who the actual author is and how the name Benson ended up in the document."
He also emphasized, "If the 20,000 hours of volunteer work attributed to his daughter is cumulative from a group, the names of the organization and the individual volunteer hours should be disclosed. It must also be clarified whether this record was submitted for the 2021 Seoul Citizen Award and the 2020 Incheon City commendation." He insisted that the same rigorous standards applied to others should also apply to his family.
Senior Spokesperson Park Seong-jun also demanded a reinvestigation by the police into the allegations of ghostwriting concerning Han's daughter. In a statement, he remarked, "Surprisingly, a high school freshman produced five papers and four e-books in just two months. Even more astonishing is that the name of the ghostwriter, Benson, was prominently included in the thesis files."
He added, "For four years, Han has offered nothing but cowardly silence and feeble excuses regarding Benson's identity. If the standards he applied to others stop at his own family, that is not fairness; it is privilege."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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