English tutor Jo Jeong-sik has been embroiled in controversy over allegations of illegal transaction of exam questions with a current teacher, and Jo's side has directly denied the accusations, expressing confidence in his innocence. Meanwhile, he is scheduled to participate in the 'Teachers2' round interview on the 13th, raising curiosity about whether he will personally address the controversy.
On the 10th, the Truth Investigation Group Sherlock reported that Jo Jeong-sik purchased exam questions for private tutoring from current high school teacher A for 58 million won. According to the report, A sold questions to 11 private tutoring institutions, including Jo Jeong-sik, for about five years from 2018 to 2023, earning approximately 238 million won.
The transaction of teaching materials questions by current teachers has been strictly prohibited since 2016. If discovered, they may face dismissal or termination, and for teachers, obtaining permission for concurrent jobs is also illegal. In connection with this, the Korean National Police Agency transferred 72 current teachers involved in question transactions to prosecutors on the 17th of last month. Additionally, it is reported that 126 individuals were charged and 100 were sent to prosecutors.
However, the following day, Jo Jeong-sik's legal representative, the law firm Pyeongan, stated, "We would like to clarify our official stance regarding the recent reports. The content related to instructor Jo Jeong-sik reported by a media outlet contains inaccuracies, and as a result, there has been significant damage to the instructor's reputation and social trust."
Furthermore, Jo Jeong-sik and our legal team are confident that the allegations forwarded to prosecutors are clearly 'not guilty,' and there has been no payment of 58 million won by Jo Jeong-sik to the teacher involved in the case.
Jo's side added that "the case is currently undergoing a rigorous investigative procedure by the authorities, and the facts will be clearly revealed through the results of future investigations," and expressed regret over the indiscriminate dissemination of information that is different from the facts, stating that they will take all legal action possible against acts of disseminating false information or damaging reputation.
The case has gained further attention not only because Jo Jeong-sik is a well-known tutor but also because he is appearing in the academic solution program 'Teachers2.' In particular, the production team and cast of Channel A's 'Teachers2' are planning a round interview on the 13th.
As of now, the 'Teachers2' side has stated that there have been no changes to the participant list, with Jo Jeong-sik expected to participate in the interview on the 13th, leaving speculation on whether he will directly deny the allegations again.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Channel A
[OSEN]