Advance Distribution of Exam Papers Leads to Errors
Negligence in Supervision Cited in Essay Test Leak
University States "Will Prepare Future Measures" in Explanation
A scandal has erupted after the 2025 academic year Yonsei University early admission natural sciences essay exam questions, taken by over 9,000 examinees, were leaked online.
On the 14th, multiple posts appeared on various online communities raising concerns about the university’s lax management and supervision during the Yonsei University essay exam held on the 12th. In addition to the mistake of distributing exam papers early at one testing site, students reported that the university failed to properly control the use of mobile phones, leading to the essay questions being posted online.
Furthermore, some claimed that the seating arrangements in certain exam rooms were not spaced widely enough, allowing students to see the answers of those nearby. Currently, photos of the natural sciences exam questions and practice answers for the humanities exam, apparently taken by examinees, are being shared online. The controversy has escalated with allegations that the questions were shared online before the exam started and that someone solved them using ChatGPT to verify the answers. A user of an admissions-related community pointed out, "Supervision was so lax that cheating was possible if one intended to do so."
Earlier, Yonsei University explained that at one testing site for the natural sciences essay exam this year, exam papers were mistakenly distributed about an hour before the exam started due to a supervisor’s confusion. One supervisor realized the mistake 10 to 15 minutes later and retrieved the papers, but since students were allowed to use their phones again during self-study time, the questions were leaked to some online communities. Separately, during the essay exam, question 4-2 had the symbol 'b' mistakenly marked as 'a'; the university announced this 30 minutes before the exam ended and extended the exam time by 20 minutes.
Earlier, Yonsei University explained that during this year's early admission natural sciences essay exam held at one test site, the exam papers were mistakenly distributed about an hour before the exam started due to a supervisor's error. One exam supervisor realized the mistake 10 to 15 minutes later and collected the exam papers, but controversy arose as some communities claimed that the questions were leaked after students were allowed to use their mobile phones again during self-study time. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The university admissions office stated the day before that "no acts that would compromise the fairness of the essay exam have been identified," but it is known that hundreds of complaints via phone calls and emails from examinees and parents have been received. A university official admitted to Yonhap News Agency that "it is true that the management and supervision of the essay exam were negligent." He explained, "An internal committee has been formed to discuss improvement measures. Our priority is to minimize the damage to examinees, and we will prepare measures on how to address the negligence in management and supervision and how to improve going forward."
However, the university currently does not consider a retest. While the admissions industry acknowledges that the question errors and leak allegations are serious issues, there is also a view that a retest may be practically difficult. Meanwhile, regarding essay admissions, in 2021, Inha University treated all examinees as tied for a question where an error was found. Also, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, which mistakenly distributed exam papers, held a retest until 10 p.m. and reimbursed examinees for transportation costs.
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