School expenses 14.6 billion embezzlement, 0 freshmen… Ministry of Education ordered to close Seohae University

Panoramic view of the Seohaedae of Gunsansa Temple in Jeonbuk [사진 서해대]

Seohae University, which disrupted the school operation due to the embezzlement of school expenses from the former corporate director, was ordered to close.

On the 22nd, the Ministry of Education announced that it would close Seohae University on the 28th after a hearing procedure in accordance with the Higher Education Act. Seohae University is a two- and three-year college in Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do.

Seohae University will be the fifth junior college closed since 2000. Previously, Seonghwadae (2012), Byeokseongdae (2014), and Dongbusandae (2020) were closed. Daegu Future University voluntarily closed the school in 2018.

The Ministry of Education also ordered the dissolution of the corporation to the Gunsan Christian Academy, a school corporation that operates Seohae University. Gunsan Christian Academy decided that when Seohae University was closed, the purpose of establishing a corporation could not be achieved because there were no schools to operate. When the dissolution is confirmed, it will close 75 years after the establishment of the school corporation in 1946.

As a result of the prosecution’s investigation in 2015, Seohae University revealed that former Chairman Lee Mo embezzled 14.6 billion won including school expenses. Since then, the Ministry of Education demanded the preservation of the amount of embezzlement in school expenses and issued corrective orders three times last year, but the school did not follow.

In the 2018 university’s basic competency assessment, Seohae University, which received an’E-grade’, which limits current students’ national scholarship support and student loans, saw a sharp drop in admissions to new students. Last year, recruitment was stopped and the recruitment rate of new students reached 0%.

Currently, Seohae University is known to be unable to pay the statutory subsidy due to financial difficulties. An official from the Ministry of Education said, “We decided that it was difficult to expect normal academic management because we could not find an alternative to overcome the financial crisis.”

When Seohae University is closed, the assets of Gunsan Christian Academy go through liquidation procedures such as debt repayment. After liquidation, the remaining assets are returned to the national treasury.

Excluding the 180 students expected to graduate in February, 140 students from Seohae University will be specially transferred to other universities in the Jeonbuk region. They are transferred to the same grade in the same or similar department as the department attended at Seohae University. If the transfer is difficult because there is no appropriate department in the area, you can enter another local university.

Information on the special transfer of students from Seohae University will be announced on the website of the Korea History Promotion Foundation and each university. After the school is closed, the Foundation is responsible for managing the school register and issuing various certificates.

Reporter Nam Gung-min [email protected]