'Twin Siblings in Sookmyung Girls' High School Exam Paper Leak Case Receive Suspended Prison Sentence in First Trial (Comprehensive)'

1 Year and 6 Months Imprisonment with 3 Years Probation
Also Ordered 240 Hours of Community Service
"The Case Is Serious and the Crime Is Not Favorable"

Sookmyung Girls' High School, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Twin sisters, who were prosecuted for allegedly leaking answers to the regular exams at Sookmyung Girls' High School, were sentenced to suspended prison terms in the first trial.

On the morning of the 12th, Judge Seunghoon Song of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 12 held a sentencing hearing for the two daughters of Hyun, the head of academic affairs at Sookmyung Girls' High School, who were charged with obstruction of business. Each was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year suspension. Additionally, they were ordered to complete 240 hours of community service.

The court stated, "The crime in this case is very serious and the nature of the offense is bad, as it deprived Sookmyung Girls' High School students of a fair opportunity to compete and greatly undermined trust in public education." However, the court added, "Considering that the defendants' father was sentenced to 3 years in prison for a related criminal case and is currently serving his sentence, and that the defendants were expelled from Sookmyung Girls' High School due to this case."

The twin sisters were prosecuted for obstruction of business for taking exams after viewing answers secretly taken by their father on five occasions from the first semester final exam of their first year in 2017 to the first semester final exam of the following year, thereby interfering with the school's grading process. Their father, Hyun, who was prosecuted earlier than the two daughters, was found guilty of obstruction of business, and his 3-year prison sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court in March. The two daughters maintained their innocence throughout the trial process following their father's Supreme Court guilty verdict.

However, the court did not accept the daughters' claims, citing ▲ the fact that the sisters ranked first in the entire school in both humanities and sciences within a short period ▲ the precise answers written on the exam papers ▲ the fact that among over 900 English sentences, only those that appeared on the exam were recorded in the exact form as the answers in the daughter's phone memo before the exam ▲ and the difference in scores compared to mock exams. The court regarded all the indirect facts recognized by the Supreme Court in confirming Hyun's guilt as also applicable in this case.

The court said, "The claims made by the defendants and their lawyers are abstract possibilities rather than reasonable doubts when viewed in light of logic and common experience." It further pointed out, "There is no circumstance that would make it difficult to adopt the judgment recognizing the same criminal facts as guilty in the criminal ruling already confirmed as guilty against Hyun (the father) in this case."