Star lecturer Seol Min-seok said he will leave all programs in which he appears, admitting to plagiarism of his master’s degree thesis written 10 years ago. He holds a master’s degree in history education from Yonsei University.

“I sincerely apologize for causing concerns over thesis plagiarism which was reported on news today. I admit I neglected my research and was not sufficiently thorough with noting references and footnotes,” he wrote via Facebook on Tuesday. “I feel miserable that I failed to meet people’s expectations. I will leave all programs, taking responsibility.”

After gaining popularity as a star lecturer of Korean history in the private education market, Seol began to expand his activities to TV a few years ago, appearing on a variety of shows. His delivery of history in an easy and entertaining manner soon created a fan base. Seol appears on “Seol Min-seok’s Naked World History” on tvN and “Those Who Cross the Line - Returns” on MBC.

Seol was also embroiled in controversy last week for faults in the second episode of “Seol Min-seok’s Naked World History.” He posted an apology on YouTube on Dec. 22 after archaeologist Kwack Min-soo, one of the advisers for the program, pointed out several inaccuracies in the episode.

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)