CNBLUE's Jung YongHwa Writes Letter of Apology for Recent Grad School Admission Issue

[showminomoney.livejournal.com]

A follow up to this post.

After it was confirmed that CNBLUE’s Jung Yong Hwa is the idol being investigated by police for being accepted into Kyung Hee University’s graduate school, the singer took to Instagram to apologize about the issue.

"First and foremost, I sincerely bow my head in apology. Whatever’s the reason, whatever’s the truth, I know it’s all my fault and I am deeply reflecting.

Whatever you say about me, I will accept it all. To my family, members, and fans who have always believed in me, I’m very ashamed and genuinely sorry for disappointing you all.

Whatever I say, whatever I post, I understand it may be difficult for it to get through to you, but I would like to apologize once again.

I’m sorry for taking up your precious time with this letter."

Update: FNC's Statement

FNC Entertainment released an official statement, saying, “First, we would like to apologize for the whole issue regarding Jung Yong Hwa’s interview for the doctoral program at Kyung Hee University.

“Jung Yong Hwa and a representative from our agency recently got investigated by police for his admission to the doctoral program in Applied Arts (focusing on the research and development of practical music production). The school suggested multiple times that Jung Yong Hwa should apply, so he applied during the additional recruitment period in January 2017 and got accepted.

“Because idols and other popular celebrities get busy with performances, the agency manages all their schedules, and the celebrities just follow them. In Jung Yong Hwa’s case, we had to take care of all the business and communication related to the preparation and submission of his graduate school application.

“Up until this became an issue, we thought he got into graduate school through a normal interview process, and Jung Yong Hwa thought the same way. He followed our schedule and attended the interview.

“Jung Yong Hwa got investigated by police and even though we had absolutely no intentions of violating school regulations, we’re very sorry for causing controversy. Ever since this became an issue, Jung Yong Hwa has been on a leave of absence from graduate school.

“To clarify, Jung Yong Hwa applied for the Applied Arts doctoral program back in winter 2016 but failed due to an error in the application process. However, because the program was facing a lack of applicants, the school suggested he apply again during the additional recruitment period in January 2017. The professor in charge of the program also wanted more applicants.

“The additional recruitment period that took place in January 2017 wasn’t competitive, so almost all applicants got accepted. It’s not that Jung Yong Hwa got into a difficult program through preferential treatment. We don’t have a reason for him to do that, especially since he’s a popular celebrity whose career depends on public reputation.

“If we had known earlier that individual interviews were against school regulations and that interviews were required to be held at school, we would’ve adjusted Jung Yong Hwa’s schedule accordingly to free up enough time for him to go. We never would’ve done anything to harm his reputation.

“As an agency, we are taking responsibility for this issue, and we apologize once again for causing controversy.”

Source: jyeffect0622 via Soompi | hei.hankyul.com via Soompi

Edit: Updated the post with FNC's official statement

Comments

[callherblondie.livejournal.com]

I don't think most idols are in top universities, very few actually. There are some actors who do/did go to SKY/KAIST/Ewha but not many idols. On the other hand, in the US, it's common for celebs to use their money and fame to get into top schools if they want (many who do end up dropping out anyway so they just waste someone else's spot for a year or two of never going to classes). Even if they get really high SAT scores, they hire private SAT coaches and tutors, but most don't even bother with that. And a lot of them once they have been accepted, if they want a little extra academic shine, arrange with administration or faculty to "assist" with research on some professor's project so they can get their name published on the final paper, despite having done nothing or not much in the way of contributing to it -- it's a win-win situation for all parties, I suppose, the professor gets attention for their paper too.

[msgrottesca.livejournal.com]

I guess it probably only makes it into the news when they enter a prestigious school, creating the illusion of a majority, although I feel like a lot of the big three idols are in fancier schools, so I can’t help but wonder if there’s a connection there...

This whole scandal just takes me back to Taeyang’s illegible, improperly sourced “if only I were black” thesis that looked like it was written by a 13 year old lol...