A High School Senior Who Failed the Civil Service Exam Was Mistakenly Sent a "Congratulations on Passing" Message... Took Extreme Measures After Returning Home

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education Administrative Error Sends "Congratulations on Passing" Message to Failed Applicants
Bereaved Family Claims Mistaken Message Led to Extreme Choice

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] An extreme case occurred where a teenager who failed the civil service exam conducted by the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education for specialized high school students took their own life. The deceased student initially received a 'congratulations on passing' message from the Office of Education, but it was an administrative error, and it was later confirmed that the student had actually failed. The student's family claims that this mistake by the Office of Education was the cause of the extreme decision.

According to the Busanjin Police Station on the 28th, A (19) took an extreme step at home after finally failing the local civil service appointment exam on the 26th.

A, a third-year high school senior from a specialized high school, took the Grade 9 civil service appointment exam organized by the Office of Education. While checking the exam results, A saw the 'congratulations on passing' message due to the Office of Education's mistake but later confirmed the final failure.

According to multiple media reports, the Office of Education mistakenly displayed the 'pass' message to those who failed for about 10 minutes at the time of the announcement of successful candidates. The list of successful candidates was printed correctly, but during the process of students checking their scores, an error caused the pass message to appear even for those who failed.

A reportedly had good written exam scores but was ultimately rejected because other students scored higher in the interview. On the day of the announcement, A visited the Office of Education, was told it was an 'administrative error,' returned home, and then took the extreme step.

Regarding this, the family claims that A, who thought they had passed but shortly after found out they had failed, suffered a great emotional shock and took the extreme step. About ten family members of A visited the Office of Education on the morning of the 28th while holding A's funeral to protest.

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