January 19, 2026

In a tacit admission of guilt, Dongguk University has silently "scrubbed" its official Global Partners website, deleting confirmed false partnerships and inexplicably reverting valid university names to their "dead" formal titles from years ago.

This "digital shredding" event comes just days after the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC) intervened in our Freedom of Information (FOI) request regarding the University of British Columbia (UBC).¹

1. The Tacit Admission: UBC is Gone

For nearly a year, Dongguk University listed the University of British Columbia (UBC) as a key partner in North America. This claimed partnership was a cornerstone of their "Global Dongguk" marketing.

Today, following our exposure of the fact that no active student exchange agreement exists, Dongguk has quietly removed UBC from their list of partners.

They did not issue a correction. They did not apologize to the students they misled. They simply hit "delete" in hopes that no one was watching. We were watching.

2. The "Benjamin Button" Effect: The Ryerson Blunder

In a move that exposes the sheer incompetence of Dongguk's international administration, they have not only deleted universities but also "devolved" others.

The Error:
Dongguk's website previously listed "Toronto Metropolitan University", the correct and current name of the Canadian institution formerly known as Ryerson.

The Update:
In their hasty update, they removed "Toronto Metropolitan University" and replaced it with "Ryerson University".²

Why this is damning:
Ryerson University officially changed its name to Toronto Metropolitan University in April 2022. A university with an active, living relationship with TMU would be emailing staff at @torontomu.ca addresses and receiving branded correspondence. Even global ranking agencies like QS clearly display: "Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)".

By reverting to the dead name, Dongguk has revealed their hand: they are likely copying and pasting from expired contracts or databases from 4+ years ago to fill the holes left by their deletions. They are "partnering" with a ghost.

3. The Front-Running Strategy

Why scrub the site now?

We believe Dongguk University is attempting to "front-run" a wave of incoming Freedom of Information (FOI) requests following the recent validation of our audit by Professor John Ioannidis (Stanford).

Context: Professor Ioannidis confirmed to us that some institutions are "addicted to gaming" rankings. Dongguk appears to be deleting the evidence of this gaming before formal audits begin.

Having seen the reputational damage caused by the UBC and Southampton exposures, they are likely purging other "high-risk" entries—universities they know they have no valid agreement with—before we can formally audit them.

Verify for yourself:

• Dongguk's Current Page: https://www.dongguk.edu/eng/page/554
• The "Panic Scrub" Snapshot (Jan 19, 2026): https://archive.md/jZsL9

Above: The list before the scrub (Note UBC)

Above: The list after the scrub (UBC gone, "Ryerson" appears)

However, the cleanup is sloppy.

4. Semantic Fraud Confirmed: The University of Manitoba Case

Despite the purge, Dongguk still lists the University of Manitoba.

We can now confirm the specific mechanism of Dongguk's "Semantic Fraud" using the University of Manitoba's publicly available partnership database.

• Dongguk Claims: "Partner" (Implying Student Exchange/Mobility).
• The Reality: The University of Manitoba's public database lists only a "Memorandum of Understanding" (MOU).

An MOU is often just a ceremonial "intent to cooperate," not a binding contract for student exchange. By listing a non-binding MOU as a full partnership, Dongguk misleads students into believing mobility options exist where there are none.

Conclusion: A crumbling House of Cards

Administrative errors are fixed with announcements. Fraud is fixed with silence and deletion.

By deleting UBC without comment and reverting TMU to its dead name, Dongguk has confirmed what we have argued all along: their "Global Strategy" is a simulation, built on expired paperwork and unverified lists, designed to deceive students and regulators.

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References:

1. Gender Watchdog. "UBC FOI / OIPC Intervention Records." Gender Watchdog Case Files, December 2025.
2. Visualping. "Dongguk University Partner Page Monitoring Change Log." January 19, 2026.
3. University of Manitoba. "International Cooperative Partnerships and Networks." MoveON Database, Accessed January 19, 2026.
4. QS Top Universities. "Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)." QS Profile, Accessed January 19, 2026.