Chung Jung-sik's legal representative refutes, "There is no fact of direct payment of 58 million won."
On the 11th, Chung Jung-sik's legal representative, the law firm Pyeongan, strongly rebutted recent media reports.
The legal representative stated, "The content reported by a recent media outlet regarding Instructor Chung Jung-sik includes elements that are not true, and as a result, there is severe damage to the instructor's honor and societal trust."
The law firm Pyeongan made it clear, "Instructor Chung Jung-sik and our legal team are confident that all charges sent to prosecution are 'not guilty,' and there is absolutely no fact that Instructor Chung has directly paid 58 million won to the teacher in question."
The legal representative added, "The case is currently undergoing rigorous investigation procedures by the authorities, and the determination of the facts will be clearly revealed through the results of the ongoing investigation."
They further emphasized, "We regret that unfounded and indiscriminate dissemination of false information is occurring, and we will take all possible legal actions, both civil and criminal, against those who spread falsehoods or damage reputations."
Suspicion of problematic transactions and investigation status
Earlier, on the 10th, 'Sherlock' reported that English instructor Chung Jung-sik purchased exam questions for academy use from a high school teacher A for 58 million won.
The media outlet reported that Teacher A has been active as a question preparation committee member for the National Unified Academic Assessment overseen by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education since 2005, and has written EBS college entrance exam-related materials since 2009, highlighting A's capabilities as a teacher.
Furthermore, it claimed that MegaStudy contacted this teacher first.
According to the report, in November 2020, Teacher A, after receiving a call from a MegaStudy employee, agreed to create and sell English questions for high school seniors’ college entrance exam mock tests at the end of each month.
The outlet reported that the payment of 2 million won for the initial 10 questions sold by Teacher A was directly transferred to A's bank account by Mr. Jo.
The issue is that since 2016, the Ministry of Education has strictly prohibited current teachers from engaging in the sale of questions for academy materials, and violating this can lead to severe penalties, including dismissal or termination.
It is also illegal for school principals to grant permission for dual employment.
The media reported that the number of teachers who traded with Chung Jung-sik totals 21, claiming that these individuals possess impressive careers, such as being authors of EBS college entrance exam-related materials and question preparers for the National Unified Academic Assessment overseen by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency of the National Police Agency sent 72 current teachers who were involved in transactions with private academies and question sales to prosecution on the 17th of last month, including 3 private education corporations and 11 academy instructors.
※ Below is the full official statement from Instructor Chung Jung-sik's legal representative.
※ Below is the full official statement from Instructor Chung Jung-sik's legal representative.
Image Source: MegaStudy Instructor Chung Jung-sik / instagram 'thechojungsik', Chung Jung-sik's Instagram, material images for article understanding / gettyimagesbank
