A court has imposed a fine on a housewife in her 30s who collected high tutoring fees after falsifying her academic credentials on an expert matching platform.
Shim Dong-young, a single judge at the Seoul Eastern District Court's Criminal Division 11, sentenced A, a 35-year-old woman indicted on fraud charges, to a fine of 3 million won ($2,200) on the 8th, the court said on the 18th.
A is accused of approaching a couple, referred to as B, who were searching for an English tutor for their elementary school son through the expert matching platform "Soomgo," and securing the tutoring job by falsely claiming she had graduated from a prestigious U.S. state university.
At the time, the couple requested a resume and graduation certificate, but A continued to lie, claiming she had graduated from a U.S. business school and held the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) qualification, according to the investigation.
Based on these false credentials, A received a total of 10.8 million won ($7,900) in tutoring fees across nine sessions. The rate, based solely on her claim of being a "prestigious university graduate," exceeded twice the standard market price, with A having set a premium tuition fee through credential forgery.
The court explained the sentencing, stating, "We took into account that the defendant deposited 13 million won with the court for the victim and that this was her first offense."
