Unaccredited Fake Diploma Crackdown

There has been a crackdown in South Korea against English language teachers who disregard visa laws and present fraudulent qualifications to obtain jobs. Three Britons were caught in this arrest. Fifty Canadians were also caught in the South Korean attempt to root out illegal teachers with fake ged diplomas. They were detained and deported or investigated by the South Korean government.

South Korean wants more native English language teachers employed in their primary and secondary schools. They need more than 900 teachers in Seoul alone. They dont want their country to become a haven for unqualified teachers. More than 70 teachers have been arrest in one month in Korea for not having proper qualifications holding fake degree certificate. There are also investigations involving four Australians, three Americans and 62 Canadians. Some have already been deported.

The South Koreans have also arrested a Korean-American male who is suspected of brokering jobs. He is also suspected of being an accomplice in forging fake certificates. Most of the teachers under investigation were arrested for having false credentials. They obtained their fake degrees through the internet and used them to pass immigration requirements. A degree is required for teachers to qualify for an E2 working visa in order to teach in Korea.

One example is a twenty-two year old from Winnipeg. She was detained by the Korean authorities for having phony diplomas after teaching in Seoul for eighteen months. She obtained the fake degree online. The diploma mill provided the fake college degree and a resume which passed immigration. She and a friend werent arrested until they tried to leave Korea when their recruiter was arrested. Miss Taylorson stated that obtaining phony diploma online education to teach in Korea was not an uncommon practice.

Korean officials estimated that there were 7,800 legitimately qualified English teachers working in Korean. According to the Guardian, the government refused to estimate the number of teachers that were not properly qualified. This figure was put at 20,000 by the Korean Times two years earlier. They blame the private schools and affordable online fake college degrees for the proliferation of illegal workers.