Lawsuit Over 'Essay Exam Leak' Between Yonsei University and Examinees to Be Held on the 5th of Next Month

First Hearing Date Held

The main lawsuit questioning the fairness of Yonsei University's natural sciences early admission essay exam will be held on the 5th of next month.

Yonhap News

The Civil Division 11 of Seoul Western District Court (Chief Judge Gu Gwang-hyun) announced that the first hearing of the main lawsuit regarding the 2025 Yonsei University mathematics essay exam, involving 18 examinees, will take place at 10:30 a.m. on the 5th of next month.

Earlier, on October 12, at a test site where Yonsei University's natural sciences early admission essay exam was held, the exam papers were mistakenly distributed by a proctor at 12:55 p.m., about an hour before the exam started, and were collected about 20 minutes later.

After the exam, controversy over question leakage arose as photos of the natural sciences exam papers and practice answers for the humanities exam, apparently taken by examinees, were shared on online communities.

The examinees filed a main lawsuit and a provisional injunction request with the Seoul Western District Court, arguing that the exam, whose fairness was compromised, should be invalidated and a retest should be conducted. Investigations into the leakers and others are currently underway by the Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

Meanwhile, on the 15th, the Civil Division 21 of Seoul Western District Court (Chief Judge Jeon Bo-seong) granted the provisional injunction request filed by the examinees against Yonsei University to suspend the effect of the essay exam. A provisional injunction is a discretionary measure issued by the court to preserve rights before the main lawsuit is finalized.

Yonsei University filed an objection to the court's decision, citing the possibility of innocent victims, but the court rejected it, stating that the need to preserve the examinees' right to take the exam fairly is still recognized. Yonsei University's immediate appeal will be handled by the Seoul High Court.