Cash for credit: Report finds Korea University paid top academics up to $100k for affiliation

A local media outlet reported Sunday that Korea University offered more than 100 million won ($68,000) in financial incentives to established overseas researchers in exchange for listing the university as a secondary affiliation.

Korea University and Yonsei University, two of South Korea’s leading private institutions, have recently faced allegations that they recruited “academic mercenaries” to boost their standings in the Quacquarelli Symonds and Times Higher Education rankings.

Sunday's reports appear to confirm a case in which Korea University offered direct financial incentives to overseas scholars who declared an affiliation with it despite little connection with the Korean college.

According to a Yonhap News Agency report published Sunday, Korea University offered more than 100 million won in incentives to three non-tenure professors participating in its K-Club program. The incentives were provided in the form of redeemable points that could be used for expenses such as personnel costs and research funding.

The report said the incentives were awarded when participating academics listed Korea University as an affiliated institution or reached a certain number of citations.

One professor at a university in Serbia joined Korea University in 2024 and is said to have received more than 130 million won in incentives. According to Scopus, the professor listed Korea University as an affiliation on more than 181 academic papers, which were cited over 1,500 times.

Another chemistry professor at a university in India listed Korea University on more than 100 papers and recorded over 1,900 citations, according to the report. That professor also received about 130 million won in incentives.

Neither professor has taught at Korea University or engaged in joint research with its faculty, raising suspicions that the university had effectively paid to be linked to research output.

In addition to the two professors, more than 130 researchers in the university’s K-Club program were found to have received incentives ranging from hundreds of thousands of won to as much as 100 million won.

“The school has become so sensitive to university rankings that it has fallen into moral hazard,” a Korea University professor said.

Last week, Korea University denied allegations that it had recruited overseas researchers who it had little academic connection in order to boost its position on international university rankings, saying its K-Club program was part of a broader global trend toward remote academic collaboration.

The university also said participating scholars attended K-Club conferences and engaged in meaningful academic exchanges.