Korean Government's Web of Lies: How False Claims to International Students Reveal a Criminal Organization
Archived Evidence: Korean Government Study in Korea Website - July 4, 2025
Current Website: Study in Korea - The Appeal of Korea
Note: We have archived the Korean government's promotional website to preserve evidence of their false claims. If we detect any changes or edits to the content following publication of this analysis, we will write a follow-up blog post documenting their attempts to cover up these lies.
This analysis systematically counters the numerous false statements on the Korean government's official Study in Korea promotional website. The site contains demonstrably false claims designed to lure international students with fabricated economic opportunities. These lies, when examined alongside the documented sexual violence cover-ups at Korean universities and partnership falsification schemes, reveal a pattern of systematic fraud that may constitute criminal activity under multiple jurisdictions.
The Lies Exposed
Lie #1: "Korea is the only country in the world that has risen to economic power through the efforts of its people"
This is historically false. Multiple countries achieved rapid economic development through their populations' efforts:
- Post-WWII Germany: Rebuilt from ruins through the "Wirtschaftswunder" (economic miracle)
- Japan: Rose from devastation to become the world's second-largest economy by the 1980s
- Singapore: Transformed from developing to developed nation in decades
- Taiwan: Achieved similar rapid industrialization
- China: Lifted hundreds of millions from poverty through economic reforms
The claim that Korea is "the only country" is demonstrably false propaganda designed to create a false sense of exceptionalism.
Lie #2: "Achieving economic growth and democratization in just 40 years, a feat that took over 200 years in Western countries"
This timeline manipulation ignores historical reality:
- Most of Europe was in ruins after WWII and rebuilt in similar timeframes
- West Germany, Japan, and other war-devastated nations achieved similar reconstruction speeds
- The Korean War ended in 1953, meaning Korea's development actually took longer than claimed
- Multiple countries achieved rapid post-war development within decades, not centuries
The "200 years" claim deliberately conflates the original Industrial Revolution with post-war reconstruction to make Korea appear uniquely successful.
Lie #3: "Korea anticipates that in emerging technology fields the demand for specialized professionals will exceed the supply"
This directly contradicts documented reality:
- Nearly 3 out of 10 PhD graduates can't find work - the highest unemployment rate since 2014
- 47.7% of scholars under 30 are unemployed, with arts and humanities exceeding 40% joblessness
- Korea has been exporting jobless graduates for over 6 years through government programs like K-move
- 200,000 people competed for 14,000 Samsung jobs - even Seoul National University graduates struggle to find employment
The government actively exports unemployed graduates to other countries while simultaneously telling international students there's a labor shortage.
Lie #4: "Korea's average wage is at 90% of the OECD average"
This statistic becomes fraudulent when gender discrimination is factored in:
- Korea's gender wage gap is 31.1% - women receive only $689 for every $1,000 men earn
- For women, the real average wage is 0.9 × 0.689 = 62% of OECD average
- This equals approximately $20,535 USD, placing Korean women's wages at the level of Oman, Romania, and Panama
- Korean women earn only 37.8% of what Canadian women earn ($54,283 USD), where pay equity laws mandate equal compensation
The government's failure to disclose this massive gender discrimination constitutes fraudulent misrepresentation of employment conditions.
Legal Implications: Criminal Organization Analysis
US Jurisdiction and Wire Fraud
If Korean government servers hosting studyinkorea.go.kr are located in the United States, or if the false statements are transmitted through US-based internet infrastructure, this could constitute wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343:
- Interstate/international wire communications used to further a fraudulent scheme
- Intent to defraud international students of money through false representations
- Material misrepresentations about employment opportunities and economic conditions
The Korean government's systematic use of false statements to induce international students to pay tuition and living expenses meets the elements of wire fraud.
RICO Implications
The pattern of fraudulent behavior - from sexual violence cover-ups to partnership falsification to economic misrepresentation - suggests potential RICO violations (18 U.S.C. § 1961-1968):
- Enterprise: Korean government and affiliated educational institutions
- Pattern of racketeering activity: Multiple instances of fraud, potentially including mail/wire fraud
- Interstate commerce impact: International student recruitment affects US citizens and commerce
International Jurisdiction
Even if servers are located in Korea, several legal avenues exist:
1. Consumer Protection Laws
- Students from countries with strong consumer protection (Canada, EU, Australia) may have standing to sue
- Misleading advertising laws in home countries may apply to Korean government representations
2. Korean Domestic Law
- Korean Consumer Protection Act prohibits false advertising
- Korean Criminal Code includes fraud provisions that could apply to government misrepresentations
- International students could potentially sue in Korean courts for fraudulent inducement
3. International Arbitration
- Bilateral investment treaties may provide mechanisms for students to seek compensation
- WTO trade in services agreements may be violated by fraudulent educational marketing
Pattern of Criminal Enterprise
These lies about economic opportunities form part of a broader criminal pattern:
Sexual Violence Cover-ups
- Systematic concealment of campus sexual violence
- Failure to protect international students from predatory faculty
- Retaliation against survivors who report abuse
Partnership Falsification
- Fabricated institutional partnerships to inflate prestige
- Misrepresentation of international recognition and accreditation
- False claims about graduate employment rates
Economic Fraud
- False wage and employment statistics
- Concealment of gender discrimination
- Misrepresentation of job market conditions
Conclusion: A Government Operating as a Criminal Organization
The Korean government's Study in Korea website demonstrates a systematic pattern of fraud designed to extract money from international students through false promises. When combined with documented sexual violence cover-ups and partnership falsification, this evidence suggests the Korean government operates as a criminal organization that:
- Systematically lies to international students about economic opportunities
- Conceals dangerous conditions including sexual violence on campuses
- Fabricates partnerships and credentials to enhance credibility
- Retaliates against those who expose the truth
International students, governments, and law enforcement agencies should recognize that engaging with Korean educational institutions means dealing with an entity that operates through systematic deception and fraud.
The time has come for international accountability. Whether through US wire fraud prosecutions, international arbitration, or domestic consumer protection actions, the Korean government's criminal enterprise must face consequences for its systematic victimization of international students.
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