The controversy surrounding hip-hop group Epic High’s graduation from Stanford University in the U.S. has led to allegations of academic falsification and a severe online witch hunt. The case illustrates the meritocracy of Korean society and the harm of excessive suspicion that goes beyond the right to know.
On August 16, 2007, Tablo (real name Lee Sunwoong), a member of the hip-hop group Epic High, revealed that he had earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University in the United States in three and a half years. This created the image of a prodigy who completed both his bachelor’s and master’s programs at Stanford University’s English literature department in a short period of time, a process that takes four to five years on average. However, some netizens raised doubts about this, sparking a heated debate on the internet. The tabloid then sued some netizens, and on May 11, 2010, a so-called “Tajinyo” cafe called “I Demand the Truth of the Tabloid” was opened. Another anti-cafe, Sangjinse (a world where common sense is the truth), also joined in the allegations. As suspicions grew, Tablo released his transcripts from his time at Stanford University, but they were rejected because they were copies, not originals. The transcripts also listed his name as “Lee, Daniel Seon Woong,” which was different from the name on his other records, raising further suspicions. Tablo then disclosed his Canadian citizenship, which Tajinyo claimed was linked to military service irregularities.
The back-and-forth eventually reached a point where even his family’s education was questioned, and Tablo published his bachelor’s and master’s diplomas. The two sides then turned the tables on each other. Tablo sued Tajinyo for defamation, and Tajinyo accused Tablo of forgery of documents and ceremonies related to the alleged academic falsification. On October 10, 2012, Tablao’s appeal was rejected, and Tablao’s educational background was found to be true.
In our society, suspicions about certain facts and demands for the truth about them often arise. This is a natural part of our right to know, but sometimes the process can get out of hand. While it can be argued that Tablo was marketing to appeal to South Korea’s meritocratic culture, there is something wrong with Tajinyo’s behavior that goes beyond disbelief to outright denial. They not only questioned Tablo’s education, but also his process of obtaining Canadian citizenship and his avoidance of military service, and even hurt his family, which goes beyond the right to know and violates human dignity and the right to happiness.
In recent years, whenever there is a social issue, there have been many cases where the personal information of the person involved is disclosed. This practice, known as “identity theft,” goes beyond the right to know and is considered a violation of dignity and honor. While humans have a right to know what they want to know, crossing a certain line can only hurt each other and can be an inferiority complex that has lost its original purpose.
Even during the London Olympics, there was a misconception that people were proud to defame someone’s personal homepage or site with their identity. While digging into an issue and indiscriminately revealing their lives and demanding an apology can sometimes lead to good results, it can also lead to witch hunts and harm innocent people. These victims are often left unrecognizable and unable to lead normal social lives. This type of behavior crosses the line of our right to know and needs to be sanctioned at the police or national level.
One way to sanction such identity theft is to establish a system on portal sites. This could include blocking excessive postings by individuals and implementing a real-name system. The internet is so fast and widespread that these measures will not only be necessary, but also fundamental reforms. Starting at the primary school level, students should be taught about human rights, internet etiquette, and human dignity through a variety of lessons to help them develop the right values against gratuitous character assassination. Legally, it is necessary to enact penalties for those who violate dignity, such as identity theft, to instill a sense of awareness.
In the case of Tajinyo’s behavior, it seems that they attacked him because they didn’t like him, rather than because they were genuinely interested in whether he graduated from Stanford. In the Korean entertainment industry, most celebrities are often judged for their lack of talent or simply their looks. Tablo, on the other hand, as an early graduate of Stanford’s English department and a musical talent, would have been unacceptable to them. The reason Tajinyo questions Tablo’s degree is because he wonders, “How could a hip-hop student graduate from such a difficult Stanford University?
I think this thought comes from Korea’s unique academicism. I think it comes from the absolute belief in Stanford University and its degree system, the conviction that no one who graduated from Stanford University can act like Tablo. Tajinyo’s other argument is that Tablo’s intellectual capacity seems low for a graduate of a prestigious American university. The content of his books and his comments on the air do not seem “learned” at all. This shows that our society has an unconditional trust and preconceived notion of an American university degree. There is a stereotype that people who graduate from American universities should behave in a certain way. This is a product of Korea’s misconceptions about academicism, aspirations for education, and perverse jealousy and inferiority complexes.
Now that education has become a guarantee check for the quality of life, people want to have it even as they resist it. However, since education is not something that can be earned, jealousy and envy of those who have it leads to misbehavior like the Tajinyo case.
Meritocracy in Korea applies not only to celebrities but also to ordinary people. For example, a friend of mine was standing still in the army when a soldier came up to him and sarcastically said, “I heard you’re from Seoul National University, but you don’t look like you have much.” Another example is when a young man in the church was wiping up a spill on the table, and the man next to him said, “If you’re from Seoul National University, can you use so much tissue? This pervasive meritocracy in our society leads to a false view of highly educated people, to their detriment. This is a result of Korea’s education system that emphasizes only good universities, and it is necessary to reform the education system and change people’s perceptions.
When Korea’s economy was struggling, people had the perception that knowledge was the only way to live in a country without resources. Even after economic growth, these values led to envy, jealousy, and envy of the intellectual class. Most students only know about the jobs they can get if they study well, and they don’t know about the different types of jobs. This is a problem in Korea’s education system that must be addressed by education authorities. From the elementary school stage, students need to be introduced to various careers through career experiences and exploration, and to find a job they enjoy instead of studying well and earning a lot of money. Parents should also be educated so that they don’t instill the wrong values in their children and don’t instill academicism.
The case of Tablo and Tajinyo is not just about them, but about a darker aspect of our society that points to a number of problems. First, the misguided practice of right-to-know that can ruin a person’s life and lead to witch hunts, and the lack of state sanctions and the willingness of some netizens to take it for granted. Second, there are unfounded accusations and criticisms of highly educated people due to the prevalence of academicism in our society and the distorted judgment of them. These are things that must be improved and should not be passed on to the next generation. I hope that these issues will be corrected through national sanctions and a national movement.
