Big trouble at small Gangjin college.

A good edition of "Korea Finder" might start with this:



A better edition wouldn't give it away in the title, though.

The JoongAng Daily writes of the troubles surrounding Gangjin county's Sunghwa College (성화대학), located in a small village northwest of the county seat:

Education authorities said the former president of Sunghwa College in South Jeolla embezzled billions of won from the school, explaining why the college paid just 130,000 won ($124) a month to its professors.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced yesterday that the former president and school founder, surnamed Lee, embezzled a total of 6.5 billion won since 2005, including 5.2 billion won that he transferred from the college’s coffers to a company that he owns.

. . .

According to the ministry, Lee appointed his wife, high school classmates and hometown friends to the college’s board as well as naming his 31-year-old daughter as his executive assistant.

Lee’s second daughter, 27, was appointed as the head of the accounting unit.

On a similar topic in the neighborhood, two weeks ago the JoongAng Daily also wrote that Myungshin University (명신대학교), between Boseong county and Suncheon,

was dealt a heavy blow by the educational authorities who cited it for corrupt management, including embezzling 6.5 billion won ($6.1 million).

The paper called it, in an editorial the same day,

a typical example of the mismanaged private universities that have degenerated into a profitable business by selling diplomas.

It's been a slow news year for Jeollanam-do, and the reason this story caught my eye is not simply because it talks about an untenable business model close to "home", but because I've worked in the area and visited the school a couple times. When I worked in Gangjin county I taught in Seongjeon-myeon each Friday at a small elementary school a block from the college. Basically the only post-secondary institution in the county, its campus was distinctive for a couple reasons: for the caged deer it kept across from the administration building, and for the four airplanes it kept on campus.

Satellite view from Naver Maps. The big green thing on the left is a driving range on campus.

Daum's Road View gives us a look at smaller model by the entrance:

From May 16, 2010.

Taken March 29, 2007, outside the school's main building:



From Road View:



For more pictures, click the first blog link---a bike trip from Mokpo to Seongjeon-myeon--- from this Naver search. As is often the case with Naver Cafe posts, I can't link to it directly, because for many, making entries inaccessible is just as much fun as writing them.