Another one comes forward

12 November 1, 2007April 28, 2008

by javabeans

Although the timing seems weird to me, singer Tim‘s management has released the information that Tim, whose college education at Philadelphia’s Temple University is general knowledge, didn’t actually graduate from his studies there.

The information was corrected by his current management company (Rube Entertainment) after noticing the Temple mention during a changing of the management company guard. His management explained, “Tim auditioned [for the Korean entertainment industry] just before matriculating at college, and it wasn’t long after he’d started his studies that he received word that he’d been successful in his audition. He wanted to become a singer so badly that he decided to give up further studies.”

Normally, I don’t think this would be newsworthy, but those of you following news this summer probably remember the string of scandals regarding university professors falsifying their educational background, starting with the now-infamous professor Shin Jeong-ah. There was a widely publicized follow-up investigation, and another prof, Kim Ock-rang of Dankook University, was also found to have faked educational information. That set off a string of other revelations, even prompting celebrities to come forward about falsifying their own schooling histories, such as actress Yoon Suk-hwa, actress Chang Mi-hee, and even Daniel Henney.

Clearly it’s a huge — and unethical — deal for professors to claim degrees they didn’t actually earn, but I don’t think it makes much sense for actors and singers to pad their educational resumes, because that isn’t the source of their fame. So I’m a bit unsure as to why Tim’s management thinks this is newsworthy, particularly at this belated date, except to perphaps bring his name back into headlines as he promotes his newly released fourth album. (Which I find unnecessary, cuz, have you heard the man’s voice? THAT should sell enough records on its own, not headlines.)

Source: Yonhap News

SONG OF THE DAY

Tim – “혼잣말” (Talking to myself) from his (new) fourth album.
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Tags: Tim

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1 Linda

November 1, 2007 at 7:08 PM

i love tim's voice, his songs, and he's so cute too, haha. it's okayyy that he didnt finish college, i wish him all the best in his singing career :] thanks for the news!

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2 ames4eva

November 1, 2007 at 7:56 PM

tim's so sweet, i don't know whats the big deal with actors or their management coming forward abt things like this.... thanks for the news as well, there isn't much abt him on the net i find... tim fighting ^^

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3 Jo

November 1, 2007 at 8:44 PM

did you watch "In-soon is pretty" yet?

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4 nyx

November 1, 2007 at 9:55 PM

I won't claim to have much knowledge about status in Korean culture, but it seems like for those in the entertainment industry, having an university diploma or just attending university (or pretending to attend it, at the very least) is still an important part of their image and status. Even though their fame does come from their appearance, their music, their acting, etc., having had university education is nevertheless an impressive thing especially when that person deliberately chooses to go into the entertainment industry.

It seems so at odds with an entertainer's persona to have a degree, to demonstrate he or she can "get by" without their looks, their voice, or their connections, so it's doubly more impressive to hear that they actually completed coursework (or the veneer of that) and got a degree, especially if they did it WHILE in the entertainment industry. For example, many people are impressed by Tablo because he completed a BA and an MA from Stanford, but deliberately chose music and made a fairly successful career of hip-hop at that.

A university education or a diploma isn't necessarily a true reflection of intelligence, but it's a widely accepted one, so when someone brandishes a diploma, particularly from a university that is famous and well-respected, it's especially more impressive.

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5 Aivoxora

November 2, 2007 at 12:20 AM

Koreans seem to care so much about education background. As if without a degree, you are nothing. Well, I don't really care, Tim has a beautiful voice, and that's all matter for a singer. Isn't it ?

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6

November 2, 2007 at 12:14 PM

Tim has a nice voice and speaking of "Insoon Is Pretty" has anyone seen it yet? I keep searching for it in video websites but there's none.

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7 mawee

November 4, 2007 at 10:14 AM

Oh yeah, I remember those actors who lied about thier educational backgrounds.. I mean why lie...? I really dont get it... And tim lied about his too? Sad. But I loved his voice... but isnt this just publicity.. I mean with his new album and all :)

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8 Javabeans

November 4, 2007 at 8:25 PM

Anon #6, Insoon will be premiering this week. I think they must have changed the airdate at some point because original reports stated that it was supposed to have started this past week.