More than eight out of 10 foreign students enrolled at Honam University who are under investigation in a case involving Chinese students' falsified academic credentials for transfer were found to be Chinese nationals.
According to the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) education statistics service on Apr. 3, as of Apr. 1, 2024, the number of foreign students enrolled at Honam University was 1,753. It was the 14th largest among 233 universities outside the greater Seoul area.
Of the 1,753 foreign students at Honam University, 1,474 were Chinese, accounting for 84.1%. The remaining students were from Vietnam (236), Uzbekistan (28), Mongolia (7), Kyrgyzstan (3), Russia (2), and Nepal, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan with one each.
As it pursued international exchange programs, Honam University focused its efforts on recruiting Chinese students. It formed a sisterhood relationship with Hunan University in China, which shares the same Chinese characters in its name, opened a Confucius Institute, and continued education and cultural exchange programs.
However, there were significant issues as well, including the Ministry of Justice halting visa issuance for two Confucius Institute instructors in 2017.
Recently, Honam University was raided after immigration authorities uncovered that 112 Chinese students submitted forged U.S. university diplomas during the transfer process.
Honam University said it was not aware in advance that the diplomas were fake and noted it "will actively cooperate with the investigation."