Dongguk University's False Partnership Claims: Beyond Reputation Issues to Taxpayer Fraud?
29 Apr, 2025
Dongguk University's misrepresentation of international partnerships raises serious questions that go far beyond merely misleading students. Korean universities receive substantial government funding partially based on their international partnerships and global standing.
When Dongguk University lists institutions as "partners" that have officially denied any relationship, this raises grave concerns about whether they have secured government subsidies through false claims.
Korean taxpayers deserve to know: Has Dongguk University been securing government funds by misrepresenting their international partnerships? One Canadian university has already denied any partnership, while several American universities are currently reevaluating their relationships due to Title IX concerns regarding sexual violence risks.
We call on the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation of Korea to investigate whether taxpayer money has been allocated based on Dongguk University's demonstrably false partnership claims.
Dongguk claims to have 381 partner universities, but this number is suspicious as we already know the actual count is 380. One Canadian university on their downloadable partner list has officially denied any partnership with Dongguk. Since there are only 7 Canadian universities on the list, it would not be difficult to contact all of them to verify if they are actual partners and correct the list to 6—or fewer if other universities also deny partnerships.
However, Dongguk University continues to falsely display this information on their English website and in archived versions. Dongguk University responded to our email on April 6th, so they have been aware of this fact since at least April 7th or 8th when we published a blog post stating that a Canadian university denied the partnership. They've had 25 days to update their website and downloadable partner list but have chosen not to do so.
Is this incompetence, dishonesty, an act of resistance, or all of the above? Either way, it appears illegal. It's possible that other universities may also deny partnerships. Additionally, more universities are likely to reevaluate their partnerships due to Title IX sexual violence risks at Dongguk University.
Another peculiar point is that Dongguk University's Korean partner university list shows 7 Canadian universities, while the English website shows only 5. Yet both lists include the university that denied the partnership. What does this inconsistent information mean? Is presenting different content in different languages a deliberate strategy to convey different messages to government officials and foreign universities? This may suggest larger issues related to funding.
As of May 2nd, Dongguk is still claiming 381 partner universities on their website, including the Canadian university that has officially denied any partnership. This false information could affect government funding decisions.
Evidence: Email Screenshots
Below are direct links to email responses from international partners and organizations, confirming the denial or review of partnerships with Dongguk University:
Canadian University Denies Partnership
Global Rankings Organization Response
US University Response 1
US University Response 2
US University Response 3
Compare Dongguk's Partner University Listings
Despite being notified and given ample time to correct their public information, Dongguk University has not updated their website. Readers can compare the archived and current versions below:
Both versions still list the same information, indicating Dongguk is hoping the issue will disappear without taking corrective action.
Interestingly, our blog views surged to 21 on April 8th, just two days after we notified Dongguk about Title IX structural sexual violence risks. Since then, they have not responded to our emails, and there appears to be no access to our blog from them. Due to Title IX issues at Dongguk University, more international partners are reviewing their relationships, which, along with false partnership claims, raises serious questions about the university's credibility.
See additional documentation in the video description and comments section.
Thank you for reading our investigation into this important matter of public accountability.