Honam University [Provided by Honam University]

Amid revelations that approximately 100 Chinese international students were admitted to Honam University using fraudulent US university diplomas, it has been confirmed that these are the same individuals who faced academic eligibility issues and were denied visas 1 year and 6 months ago when attempting to obtain visas as international students for Honam University.

According to a comprehensive report by Yonhap News on the 2nd, Honam University operates a "3+1 transfer system" where Chinese students who have completed 3 years of vocational college education in China are eligible for transfer, and upon completing a 1-year program, they receive a diploma.

Last year, Honam University issued standard admission letters to over 100 Chinese students intending to transfer under this program for September 2024 enrollment.

Standard admission letters are issued by universities designated as "International Education Quality Assurance Institutions" by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice, after their own verification process. Upon selection as a certified institution, the review process by the Ministry of Justice is eased for foreign international student visa issuance.

However, the academic documentation proving they completed their education in China failed to pass the visa review, and their visa applications were denied.

It is reported that Honam University was fined for issuing standard admission letters without proper verification.

The over 100 international students whose visa applications were rejected entered the country in March of last year, at the start of the following semester, under the status of language program students (D-4 visa for general training) at Honam University.

For some unknown reason, these students, whose visas were denied just about 6 months prior, became language program students at Honam University.

The D-4 visa typically allows for a 6-month stay and can be extended up to a maximum of 2 years.

Five months after their arrival, in August of last year, they applied to change their residence status to a study visa (D-2) by attaching US university degree certificates and were transferred to Honam University.

However, immigration authorities confirmed that the degree certificates they submitted were from a US university whose accreditation was revoked in the mid-2000s.

Considering the process and scale, the Ministry of Justice authorities determined this was not a simple error or oversight and launched a coercive investigation in January, including raids on Honam University and its related personnel.

The international students, who are the main subjects of the investigation, have all returned to China collectively shortly after the university's raid.

In response, Honam University stated, "As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot confirm any details. We will await the outcome of the investigation."