South Korean authorities have ordered more than 100 Chinese students to leave the country after discovering they used fraudulent US university degrees to gain admission to a Korean university, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Ministry of Justice launched an investigation into an international exchange program and found that 112 Chinese students had submitted fake US bachelor's degree certificates. A subsequent expansion of the probe uncovered even more Chinese students involved.
According to legal sources cited by Yonhap, five of the Chinese students who were ordered to leave after being caught in the expanded investigation have filed an administrative lawsuit against the Gwangju Immigration Office.
The five students transferred to Honam University, a private university in Gwangju, as transfer students last September. Under the program, students who completed three years of education at an overseas university could earn a degree after one year of study at Honam.
The students argue they diligently participated in online courses at a "US university" and obtained certificates that received apostille certification from the US government. They claim it was difficult for individuals to verify such international credentials and relied on study abroad agencies for admission. They contend that the immigration office's orders to revoke their stay permits and leave the country are improper and are demanding their cancellation.
