Parents punished for arranging illegal entrance

Three women who were indicted on charges of arranging for their children to enter colleges illegally were sentenced to prison terms.

The Seoul District Court sentenced a woman identified only as Lee, 47, to 10 months in prison for forging documents, including a certificate of graduation from a foreign high school, and arranging for her children to enter a college through illicit means.

The court also sentenced two women named Kim, 56, and Lee, 49, who had been released from detention on bail, to six- and eight-month prison terms, respectively, and took them into custody on court orders.

The presiding judge stated that their crimes appeared to be the result of their distorted love for their children and that the harsh sentences were designed to serve as warnings to parents who are considering committing similar crimes.

The three women were found to have forged documents such as graduation certificates from foreign high schools and exit-entry certificates in collusion with Cho Keun-Hee, 53, former chief of the board of directors at Kent Foreign School in Seoul.

Lee Jung-Eun lightee@donga.com