What’s Going On with Famed K‑Pop Stars and University Degrees?
Suddenly, the world of Korean pop has turned into a circus. After Jung‑Yonghwa from CNBLUE sparked a scandal when people whispered that he might have nudged his way into a Master’s degree at Kyung‑hee, the Ministry of Education’s hotline is now hounding other universities to see if they were pulling the same trick.
Dongshin & Busan Kyungsang in the Crossfire
According to My Daily, a hush‑hush meeting brewed to sift whether students at Dongshin University and Busan Kyungsang University had done the same “class‑ect” dance. Picture a group of scientists in lab coats, except the labs are classrooms and the experiments are attendance records.
Lining Up the Celeb‑Degree Crew
Here’s the crash‑cart roster of celebrity “degree‑firings” that has stirred the back‑stitches:
- Highlight’s Gi Kwang, Doo Joon and Jun Hyung – all chic‑faced with their “graduated” diplomas though their attendance ledger looks more like a comic strip.
- BTOB’s Eun Kwang & Sung Jae – probably dreaming of their next tour while flipping through a annotated handout.
- Singers Jang Hyun‑Seung & Chu Ga‑Yeoul – the duo who promised a “beat of a lifetime” but dropped classes like mixtapes.
Chu Ga‑Yeoul’s Double‑Double Life
Yeoul’s case is a Season‑3 cliff‑hanger: he was masquerading as an adjunct professor in Applied Music while still a holiday‑era student in Broadcasting and Entertainment. Overlap? Yes. Attendance? Not so much.
Official Says, “We Followed the Playbook (So‑so) … but There Are Wet Spots”
An official from Dongshin University brushed the news with a calm coat, confessing “We followed the internal playbook, but we know there are wet spots in our policy.” He added a regret‑scented note: “We’ll review how we protect graduates who got credits under the old regulations.”
Looking Ahead – Tightening the Screws
University regulators are now chewing over reforms, hoping to squeeze the policies so stars can soar for the right reasons, not because they skipped the hallway rows.
Original piece aired on CLEO Singapore – K‑popEducation and Schools.
