Police Investigate 8 Suspects in Yonsei University 'Essay Exam Leak'... "No School Officials Involved"

The police are investigating eight suspects in connection with the alleged leak of the Yonsei University natural sciences essay exam.

Yonhap News

On the 2nd, Kim Bong-sik, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated at a regular press briefing, "We have currently identified eight suspects related to the Yonsei University essay exam leak, and have confirmed the personal information of six of them. However, we have not yet confirmed whether they are the ones who posted the questions on the online community DC Inside, and further investigation is needed on this matter." It was also found that none of them are affiliated with the university.

Earlier, on October 12th, during the Yonsei University early admission natural sciences essay exam held at a test site, the exam papers were mistakenly distributed by a proctor about an hour before the exam started, at 12:55 PM, and were collected about 20 minutes later. After the exam, photos of the natural sciences exam questions and practice answers for the humanities exam, apparently taken by examinees, were shared on online communities, sparking controversy over the leak.

The examinees filed a main lawsuit and a provisional injunction at the Seoul Western District Court, arguing that the exam, whose fairness was compromised, should be invalidated and a retest conducted. On the 15th of last month, the Civil Division 21 (Presiding Judge Jeon Bo-seong) of the Seoul Western District Court granted the provisional injunction request filed by the examinees against Yonsei University to suspend the validity of the essay exam. A provisional injunction is a discretionary measure taken by the court to preserve rights before the main lawsuit is finalized.

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