Even Knowing It's Illegal... Public Service Exam Candidates Driven to Become 'Ingang Thieves'

Cost Sharing 'Gathering Together'... Recorded Sales of 'Doomgang' 15-20% Cheaper
Immediate Punishment if Caught, Up to 5 Years Imprisonment or Fine Up to 50 Million KRW
At Least 150,000 KRW per Course, Average Monthly Spending of Public Exam Takers Exceeds 1.16 Million KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] "Back when I was in college, there were quite a few book thieves. Of course, we knew it was a crime, but the perspective wasn’t that harsh, as the saying went, 'A book thief isn’t really a thief.'

This is a recollection from Kim Jung-ik (64, class of ’76), who attended university in the late 1970s. He said it wasn’t uncommon to hear stories of people becoming book thieves due to financial difficulties. It was common to steal books from nearby bookstores or even from fellow students’ lockers to study. Kim said, "At that time, among livelihood-related thieves, book thieves were somewhat specially regarded. I also heard that even if caught by the police, if they showed remorse and returned the books, they were often let off with a warning."

The warm attitude toward book thieves is not just an old story from over 40 years ago. Take the case of Kim Mo (then 27) caught in Gwangju in 2008. Kim, a job exam retaker, stole employment-related books worth 90,000 won, saying, "I couldn’t bring myself to ask my rural parents for more help." The police struggled between the letter of the law and compassion, stating they would consider 'mitigating circumstances.' It is unknown what punishment Kim eventually received.

As economic conditions and legal awareness have changed, the phrase 'a book thief isn’t really a thief' is now rarely heard. However, in reality, book thieves still exist around us today. The target has just shifted from books to videos.

A typical form of 'online lecture (in-gang) theft' used mainly by civil service exam takers (Gongsi-jok) is 'watching together.' Known as 'internet lecture study groups,' participants pool money to pay for lectures and gather in empty classrooms or study rooms to watch together. There is also something called 'Doomgang.' This neologism, meaning 'dark lectures,' refers to recording internet lectures and selling them illegally. These transactions usually happen quietly in online cafes sharing civil service exam information or among acquaintances. Buyers and sellers meet at agreed locations, exchanging notes containing IDs and passwords for web hard drives storing the lectures. Doomgang is sold at about 15-20% of the official internet lecture price.

Of course, both book theft and in-gang theft are illegal regardless of the era. The difference is that in the past, there was some degree of 'understanding,' but now it is a matter of 'immediate punishment if caught.' Current copyright law punishes infringement of property rights on works through reproduction, distribution, rental, or public transmission with up to five years imprisonment or fines up to 50 million won.

The precarious balancing act of Gongsi-jok, who know better than anyone that tearful pleas of 'I had no choice because I wanted to study' won’t spare them from punishment, looks risky. For the administrative exam, watching all related internet lectures reportedly costs over 5 million won. Even watching just one course requires at least about 150,000 won. According to a survey released by the employment portal Incruit in October last year, Gongsi-jok’s average monthly expenditure is about 1,167,000 won. Just one or two internet lectures take up a significant portion of their total living expenses.

Hwang Mo (28), who says this year will be his last attempt at the civil service exam, said, "Those who don’t engage in illegal sharing are either silver spoon kids or people who don’t really know this world. I’m working part-time while studying, but honestly, I can’t help relying on Doomgang." Lee Young-do (25, pseudonym), preparing for the administrative exam, said bitterly, "After more than three years of exam preparation, I have no choice but to participate in internet lecture study groups."