University's fast-track hire of former lawmaker's daughter raises outcry online

Yoo Dam's quick appointment at Incheon National University raises concerns about fairness in faculty hiring among students.

Yoo Dam, daughter of former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min [JOONGANG ILBO]

Yoo Dam, the 31-year-old daughter of former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, began teaching this week as an assistant professor at Incheon National University, but her rapid appointment has prompted students to question whether the hiring process was fair.

Yoo, who holds a law degree from Dongguk University, a master’s in business administration from Yonsei University and a doctorate in business administration from Korea University, joined Incheon National University's College of Global Business and International Studies as a full-time faculty member in the fall semester. She is teaching two elective courses in international business.

Her appointment has sparked calls for transparency in the hiring process, particularly on online student forums.

One post, titled “Fairness Must Begin with Faculty Hiring” (translated), raised concerns about how quickly Yoo secured a position following her graduation.

“I recently read in the news that Yoo Dam, daughter of politician Yoo Seong-min, was appointed as an assistant professor in our department at just 31 years old,” said the author, who identified themselves as a first-year student at the college. “Some see this as a welcome addition of young talent, but many students, myself included, have serious questions about her unusually short career and background.

“Although she received her Ph.D. in the first half of the year, she became a full-time faculty member in the second semester — less than a year later. We want to know whether this unusually fast track appointment was based solely on ability.”

In response to the criticism, a university spokesperson said the school had followed standard hiring procedures.

“We appointed her fairly based on the guidelines laid out in our job post,” the spokesperson said in a media interview. “In fact, Incheon National University previously appointed a professor at the age of 28.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]