Exclusive Osan University Under Police Investigation Again…Charges of Irregularities Related to Government Subsidies Following Board Chair and President Prosecution

Police have been confirmed to be investigating allegations related to government subsidies at Osan University.

According to the Osan Police Station and others on the 4th, police are investigating Osan University on suspicion of violating the Subsidy Management Act in connection with government subsidies.

Police are understood to have recently executed a search warrant at Osan University and secured related materials.

A police official stated, "We are broadly reviewing matters related to government subsidies at Osan University," and added, "We are also examining whether there are any other violations, including whether there has been a breach of the Subsidy Management Act."

However, specific allegations, investigation subjects, and the scope of the search warrant were not disclosed, citing the ongoing investigation.

Osan University's position is that this investigation concerns an individual faculty member affiliated with the university, not the university itself or its industry-academic cooperation division.

An Osan University official stated, "After police executed the warrant and took related materials around September, we have not received any additional contact," and explained, "This is a matter related to an individual professor, not an investigation into the school or department, and it appears to have no direct connection to government subsidy project funds."

Previously, Osan University came under police investigation over allegations of manipulating student enrollment rates to receive government funding.

The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency executed a search warrant on the office of the board chair and the university headquarters in May 2024, and sent 8 officials, including the board chair of the Osan Education Foundation and the president of Osan University, to prosecution in March of this year.

They are being investigated on suspicion of using falsified data on new student and continuing student enrollment rates from 2020 to 2023 in university evaluations to receive approximately 18 billion won in government funding.

Police maintain that they can expand the scope of investigation if additional allegations are confirmed in this government subsidy-related probe.