Police have launched a full-fledged investigation into allegations that there were special favors in the process of appointing Yoo Seong-min's daughter, Yoo Dam, 31, as a professor at the University of Incheon.
According to police on the 5th, the Yeonsu Police Station in Incheon is investigating based on a complaint recently filed by a civic group. The complaint alleges that University of Incheon President Lee In-jae, officials in the Academic Affairs Office's personnel team, members of the hiring review committee, and records managers violated the Act on the Management of Public Records.
The complainant reportedly claimed that, during Yoo's hiring process, University of Incheon recruitment officials did not follow appointment guidelines and failed to keep hiring-related documents that must be preserved permanently.
Yoo passed an open recruitment for a full-time faculty position in the Department of Trade at the College of Global Economics and Politics at Incheon National University for the second semester of the 2025 academic year and was appointed as a professor. However, on the 28th, during the National Assembly Education Committee's audit, Rep. Jin Sun-mi of the Democratic Party of Korea raised related issues, fueling controversy.
Rep. Jin said, "There are many objections to 31-year-old Professor Yoo Dam becoming a professor in the Department of Trade at the University of Incheon," adding, "Professor Yoo scored 18.6 points in the qualitative review of papers, placing around 16th overall in the lower ranks, but received perfect scores in the quantitative evaluation of education, career, and papers, passing the first screening in second place overall."
The University of Incheon said that, regarding various allegations surrounding Yoo's appointment, the review was conducted fairly in accordance with internal guidelines and guidance. A police official said, "It is true that the complaint was received," adding, "We cannot disclose specific details."