The Reform Party has raised allegations that Yang Hyang-ja, the People Power Party (PPP) candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, listed false academic credentials and promoted fake achievements. With Yang's camp immediately pushing back, the dispute over the allegations is intensifying. While the Reform Party has urged Yang to withdraw from the race, Yang has warned of legal action, raising tensions in the Gyeonggi gubernatorial race.
Cheon Ha-ram, the Reform Party's floor leader, held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly on the 25th and called on Yang to "confess to the crime of deceiving Gyeonggi residents and resign immediately."
Cheon pointed out that Yang had included false information in her campaign brochure to deceive voters. "On page 3 of the brochure, candidate Yang lists herself as a 'Doctor of AI Strategic Management,'" he said. "Meanwhile, on page 2 of the same brochure, in the 'Candidate Information Disclosure' section that she submitted herself, it is written only as 'Doctor of Business Administration.' She is staging a comedy of contradictions within a single brochure."
He continued, "The expression 'Doctor of AI Strategic Management' is not a simple descriptive phrase. It has the potential to mislead voters into thinking she has obtained an official doctoral degree in AI strategic management or a separate specialized doctoral degree."
Cheon also directly criticized Yang's claims regarding the "Semiconductor Special Act." "Candidate Yang has boasted through campaign brochures and the media that she proposed and passed the 'Semiconductor Special Act' in the National Assembly," he said. "This is a bold lie that attempts to deceive the entire Republic of Korea."
He added, "The Semiconductor Special Act is a bill proposed by lawmakers including Koh Dong-jin, Lee Eon-ju, Song Seok-jun, and Park Soo-young. The name Yang Hyang-ja does not appear anywhere on the list of proposers."
He further noted, "This bill was proposed in June 2024 when the 22nd National Assembly opened, and it only passed the plenary session on January 29 of this year. Candidate Yang is a 'former' lawmaker whose term ended in May 2024. Is candidate Yang someone who transcends time and space?"
The Reform Party views that Yang is conflating the "Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Strengthening and Protecting the Competitiveness of National High-Tech Industries," which she proposed during the 21st National Assembly, with the "Special Act on Strengthening Competitiveness and Supporting the Semiconductor Industry," which was processed in the 22nd National Assembly, and promoting it as her own legislative achievement.
Cheon warned, "Out of greed for the position of Gyeonggi governor, she fabricated the academic credentials and career necessary to disguise herself as a semiconductor expert in order to complete the narrative running through her 'Money-Making Gyeonggi' campaign. If she does not resign, we will immediately file charges."
Cho Eung-cheon, the Reform Party's candidate for Gyeonggi governor, stressed, "The key issue is whether there is potential for voters to be misled, and whether this poses a risk of affecting voting results. There is sufficient potential to mislead and sway voters, affecting the voting outcome, and even if elected, the result would inevitably be declared invalid."
"Reform Party Is the One Spreading False Information"… Yang's Camp Signals Civil and Criminal Action
Yang's camp immediately issued a statement in response to the Reform Party's allegations, signaling legal measures. Yang's camp countered that it was "merely an outdated political offensive that denies academic common sense and historical facts."
Yang's side explained, "The official name of a doctoral degree is typically expressed by the academic discipline rather than the specific specialization. It is the same principle as a doctor who graduated from a graduate school of journalism and broadcasting having their official degree name listed as 'Doctor of Literature.'"
The camp emphasized, "Officially, 'Doctor of Business Administration' is correct, and the fact that she specialized in AI Strategic Management as her detailed major is also clearly factual. We listed both in the campaign brochure to help voters understand and to accurately convey the candidate's expertise."
Regarding the controversy over allegedly taking credit for the Semiconductor Special Act, the camp said, "The common name of the bill that candidate Yang proposed in the 21st National Assembly is the 'K-Chips Act,' which became the cornerstone of Korea's semiconductor industry. Since 'chips' refers to semiconductors, calling it the 'Semiconductor Special Act' is perfectly natural." It added, "We even specified the year of proposal in front of the bill name to clearly distinguish it from other bills proposed and passed afterward."
Lee Hoon-mi, spokesperson for Yang's camp, warned, "This is a publication of false information raised without sufficiently verifying even the most basic facts, and merely an irresponsible political offensive to shake up the election. The Yang Hyang-ja camp will immediately review and pursue all possible civil and criminal legal measures, including the crime of publishing false information under the Public Official Election Act."
Reform Party on Yang's Explanation: "Are the Mobility-Disadvantaged Act and Road Traffic Act the Same Law?"
The Reform Party rebutted Yang's explanation, escalating its offensive by saying, "Looking at the explanation provided by the Yang Hyang-ja camp, it reads like a criminal's self-confession."
Cho's camp said in a statement, "Yang's side acknowledges that the official degree name is 'Doctor of Business Administration,' yet insists that 'since she specialized in AI Strategic Management, isn't she a Doctor of AI Strategic Management?'" The camp argued, "There are more than a few cases where candidates were stripped of their eligibility for violating the Public Official Election Act after listing their academic credentials in such an arbitrary manner."
Cho's side pointed out, "When we inquired with the admissions officer at the relevant university, we received a response that there is no 'AI Strategic Management' major. The university's website also shows that the doctoral program includes AI Convergence but not AI Strategic Management." It added, "The university's master's program does have 'AI Strategic Management.' If she took a name that does not exist in the doctoral program and listed it as 'Doctor of AI Strategic Management,' that is an expression that misleads voters about the official doctoral degree name."
Regarding Yang's explanation of the Semiconductor Special Act, the camp rebutted, "We can only laugh at the Yang Hyang-ja camp's explanation that 'chips' means semiconductors, so this is essentially the 'Semiconductor Special Act.' Just because the word 'traffic' is included, are the 'Mobility-Disadvantaged Act' and the 'Road Traffic Act' the same law?"
It continued, "The K-Chips Act and the Semiconductor Special Act are completely different laws in nature and scope of application. Candidate Yang Hyang-ja contributed almost nothing to the K-Chips Act."
Cho's camp pressured, "This issue will be a hot topic at the Gyeonggi gubernatorial debate held on Wednesday, the 27th. The publication of false information during candidate debates is punished even more heavily."
