IOC looking into Moon’s plagiarism case

By 윤민식

Published : April 22, 2012 - 09:57

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Ethics Commission to convene after collecting all information

The International Olympic Committee is looking into allegations surrounding its member Moon Dae-sung over plagiarism, an official confirmed.

Lawmaker-elect and IOC member Moon Dae-sung (Yonhap News)

Moon, who won a National Assembly seat, has been under fire for plagiarizing his doctoral thesis.

“The IOC has been in contact with Moon since the allegations were first made,” said the IOC media relations manager Andrew Mitchell, noting that his case is currently under investigation.

“The IOC will ask to receive the reports related to this case, study them and then consider whether any action needs to be taken,” he said.

The official told The Korea Herald on Friday after Koomin University announced that the lawmaker-elect had plagiarized his doctoral thesis submitted to the university in 2007.

“We will contact the university in due time,” he added.

But the official was careful to avoid any comment on whether the IOC Ethics Commission to discuss Moon’s membership.

“The IOC Ethics Commission will only be active once there is a definitive decision by the university and only after the Commission has received all the information will it be able to discuss the issue,” he added.

There is no clear indication regarding plagiarism in the IOC’s code of conduct, but some media insist the Olympic governing body should strip Moon of his membership as he not only violated the principles of academia but also violated the trust of the international sports governing body.

The mission of the IOC Ethics Commission, it says, is to ensure respect of the ethical principles within the Olympic Movement.

It conducts investigations into breaches of ethics submitted to it by the IOC President and, where necessary, makes recommendations to the IOC Executive Board.

The ethics board meets at least twice a year and more frequently if urgent matters demand it. But its recommendations remain confidential until the IOC Executive Board makes a decision.

Moon, who won a gold medal in taekwondo at the 2004 Olympics, was elected as a member of the IOC Athletes Commission in 2008, becoming the first Asian athlete to win a seat on the 19-member commission.

The role of the IOC Athletes Commission role is to provide a link between active competitors and the Olympic governing body. Moon’s term on the commission lasts until 2016.

He has been working closely with the PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee, and also served as a professor at Dong-A University in Busan.

By Oh Kyu-wook
(596story@heraldcorp.com)

<관련 한글 기사>

'논문표절' 문대성, IOC에서도 쫓겨나나

IOC 조만간 윤리위원회 회부 결정할 듯

문대성 위원의 표절시비를 놓고, 국제 올림픽 위원회 (IOC)에서 곧 윤리위원회 회부 여부를 결정할 것으로 보인다.

이미 IOC 는 문대성 국회의원 당선자의 학위 논문 표절과 관련 국민대에 공식적인 답변을 요청한 상태다.

앤드류 미첼 IOC 미디어 담당관은 코리아헤럴드에게 보낸 이메일 회신에서 이번 표절 논란이 처음 불거졌을 때부터 문 당선자와 연락을 해왔고, 현재 이 문제를 IOC에서 조사 중인 것으로 밝혔다.

논란이 됐던 문 당선자의 박사논문은 이미 지난 금요일 국민대로부터 ‘표절’ 확인을 받은 상태. 그러나 IOC 관계자는 아직 대학으로부터 “최종적인 결정”을 기다리고 있다며, 윤리위원회 회부 여부에 대한 즉각적인 답변은 피했다.

IOC 윤리 규정에 ‘표절’에 관한 조항은 없다. 하지만 문위원의 표절은 학계의 룰을 어긴 것 만 아니라 국제스포츠 기구의 신뢰를 무너뜨린 것이란 주장이 일고 있다.

IOC 윤리위원회는 올림픽 기구 윤리규정에 위반 되는 사항이 발생시 회의를 소집, 위원장과 집행위원회에 수정사항을 요구한다. 보통은 연 2회 회의를 가지나, 사항에 따라 긴급회의를 열 수도 있다.

만약, 문위원이 윤리위원회에 회부될 경우, 현재 2016년까지인 문위원의 IOC 임기 자격 여부를 논의할 것으로 예상된다.

2004년 아테네 올림픽 태권도 종목 금메달을 목에건 문의원은 2008년 아시아 최초로 선수위원에 당선됐다.

IOC looking into Moon’s plagiarism case

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