Student and Parent Names Appear in Test Questions
"Temporary Teacher Created Them... Contract to End This Year"
A middle school in Gyeongnam sparked controversy after including absurd phrases such as ‘Yoon OO who lived in Bongha Village’ ‘jumped off the cliff behind the mountain by himself’ in the exam questions, JTBC’s “Incident Commander” reported on the 28th.
This information was reported by the director of a gymnasium near the middle school. The informant happened to see the exam paper through social networking services (SNS). In the question asking to describe the role of socialization, expressions like ‘Bongha Village’ and ‘jumped off the cliff’ appeared. Another question contained phrases such as ‘Chinese believer’ and ‘our class’s ㅂㅅ (boseok)’. Shockingly, the exam questions even mentioned the names of current students and parents of the school.
The informant said, “At first, I thought the question text was ‘photoshopped,’ but it turned out to be an actual exam question,” and added, “I even called the school directly to verify.” Feeling the seriousness of the matter, he immediately protested to the school and the education office, but only received lukewarm responses saying they would ‘assess the situation and take action.’
The vice principal of the school told Incident Commander, “We plan to personally visit the parents of the students mentioned in the exam paper to apologize,” and “The teacher who created the question is a contract teacher whose contract will likely end this year.” It is reported that the school has sent a letter to families stating, “We apologize for causing discomfort by using inappropriate text,” and “We sincerely apologize and offer our condolences especially to the students and parents mentioned by name.”
A similar incident occurred in 2015. A Seoul university exam question included expressions that seemed to disparage the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. The final exam question for Anglo-American law described a minor named ‘Roh,’ who, after falling from Owl Rock at age six and injuring his head, had an IQ of only 69 and is currently 17 years old. It stated that his older brother, ‘Bongha Prince,’ pressured him into signing a contract. The question asked whether the contract was binding on ‘Roh,’ but regardless of the intent, it evoked memories of former President Roh, who died by jumping from Owl Rock in Bongha Village, Gimhae City, Gyeongnam, where his residence was located in May 2009.
In response, former President Roh’s son, Gunho, filed a lawsuit for damages, and the court ruled that the professor must pay 5 million won in consolation money to the bereaved family.
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