Identity of Distributors and Leak Route Remain Unidentified
On June 4, during the June National Joint Academic Assessment (Hakpyeong) administered to first-year high school students, there were indications that the English section questions and answers had been leaked in advance. As a result, the education offices of all 17 cities and provinces nationwide have decided to request a formal investigation.
On June 5, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced, "All 17 city and provincial education offices will jointly request an investigation in order to take swift and strict action against those involved."
According to the education sector, the English section questions, answers, and explanations for the June 4 Hakpyeong for first-year high school students were shared in advance in an open group chat room where about 3,200 people, including private academy instructors, had gathered.
The questions and answers were reportedly shared at 12:30 p.m., which is 40 minutes before the official test start time of 1:10 p.m.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "So far, the composition of the group chat room on social media, the identities of those who distributed the materials, and the route of the leak have not been identified." The office added, "We will request an investigation by the police to take action against those involved and will review measures to prevent recurrence."
The office continued, "Depending on the results of the investigation, the relevant education offices will proceed with follow-up procedures, including taking action against those involved." It also said, "To prevent a recurrence of such incidents, we will review and implement necessary measures regarding the management and security of question booklets, answer sheets, and explanations if there are any institutional improvements needed."
Since the 2002 academic year, the National Joint Academic Assessment has been conducted jointly by city and provincial education offices to reduce private education expenses and provide career information. The test questions are prepared alternately by four education offices: Seoul, Busan, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. The June assessment is prepared by the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, and the results of the assessment are not reflected in students' academic records.
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