By Joshua Park
In the movie ``Catch Me If You Can, Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. amazes movie watchers with his ability to make fake documents. Two of the more memorable scenes from the movie features Abagnale turning himself into a doctor and a lawyer, creating fake diplomas from medical school and law school. He thrills and even wins some admiration for his ability to transform his identity and to literally create wealth for himself. While the movie is entertaining and especially intriguing because its a true story, we would not want a reprisal of this in our society. But sadly, in Korea, the story is more than just a fanciful or far-off tale from a movie.

Recently, police have become increasingly concerned with con artists who attract people by advertising that they are fake diploma manufacturers. Lee, a graduate of a regional university, was one such victim. He saw an advertisement that promised to make a top quality fake diploma for prestigious universities. Degrees from Seoul National, Korea or Yonsei University, (the so-called SKY schools) were 400,000\ each, while degrees from other top tier Seoul schools were 300,000\ each. Having failed to land a job interview after several attempts due to his status as a lower tier college graduate, Lee sent in his personal information with a 100,000\ deposit. He never heard from them again. He worried more about his citizen registration number and address being abused than recovering the deposit he had paid, but felt he could not contact the police about the matter.

Such cases of cheaters cheating would-be-cheaters are only a small reflection of the overall problem in Korea. With the rise in unemployment, fake degrees from prestigious universities, especially those from SKY, are becoming increasingly tempting commodities. According to the Information Communications Ethics Committee, over 200 sites advertising fake diplomas and licenses were found in August alone. And such businesses respond by using clever ways to avoid detection. At one portal site, where doing a search using the term ``counterfeit is banned, terms such as ``wijo, (English rendering of the Korean word for ``counterfeit) have been used to get around the problem. Another site, which goes by the name ``graduation, provides for tailor-made services, suggesting and making appropriate degrees for customers after conducting one-on-one interviews with them.

Such methods have become so sophisticated that large corporations such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG complain that it is impossible to guard against the use of counterfeit degrees. According to a source from the police, the documents being made nowadays are perfect imitations down to the holograms and counterfeit-resistant paper, making them impossible to detect. One agency that makes degrees at a rate of 3.5 million won claims that their documents can even be used to apply to graduate schools or government jobs. Of course, such fake documents are not limited to college or graduate degrees. With TOEFL and TOEIC scores playing a large part in whether an applicant will be hired or not, counterfeit test score reports are being made as well. Fake identification cards, passports and drivers licenses are being produced for illegal aliens or people with bad credit, allowing them to take out loans and make other business and financial transactions.

According to some sociologists, this is a reflection of the imbalance in mentality that resulted from the rapid capitalization that Korea has undergone. While the capitalist mindset is entrenched in some ways _ valuing money and personal wealth _ the necessary mindset for capitalist ethics has not yet had a chance to catch up. The end justifies the means, and since Koreans place so much value on a high profile degree, using fake documents is a justifiable means to attain wealth _ or just employment. Both in the minds of people and in practice, there is a lack of a system of restrictions and consequences for unethical practices. Even when a fake degree is discovered, a worker is often not fired from work if he has been an employee for a number of years. This is true in schools, both public and private, and major corporations alike. But again, this mentality is not limited to just fake documents, degrees and padded resumes. Fake name-brand items line shops in subway stations and at stores in Itaewon. And the fact that consumers dont feel at all guilty about using such goods feeds the problem. Cheating on exams at school is often condoned, especially on the final exam of the high school third grade year, taken shortly after the CSAT is administered. For many students, helping each other cheat is a show of solidarity and a mark of true friendship _ those who refuse to participate are ostracized as being selfish individualists. Even when they are caught, teachers are willing to forgive and overlook after a tearful plea from the student and his parents. Parents still slip envelopes containing cash to teachers, asking them to look upon their own children more favorably, and are not shy about asking their children if their teachers behavior has changed afterwards.

Of course, this is not just Koreas problem. America has a website called fakedegrees.com that peddles counterfeit diplomas. And the problem is far worse in China. A recent news article reported a fake diploma exhibition that took place in China. There, hundreds of different diplomas of varying qualities were displayed, highlighting the serious problem of fake degrees and diplomas in China. In one city, it was reported that 12 percent of all college diplomas submitted turned out to be fake. And fake name-brand items are displayed publicly while policemen monitor the area. But there are consequences for condoning such practices. Already, American schools, corporations and large institutions are distrustful of diplomas, test score reports and other documents from China. Certain foreign companies are becoming reluctant to invest in China due to the strong influence of counterfeits. Recently, Blockbuster Video pulled out of China due to the widespread practice of selling unauthorized copies of videos and DVDs. Although the problem is not so widespread yet in Korea, it is not far behind. We need to crack down on the consequences of such actions of fraud and attempt to inculcate, especially in our children, the value of integrity and honesty. Because the last thing we want is a world full of Abagnales, where anyone or anything can be fake.

Joshua Park
joshuaparkATpost.harvard.edu