Korea Industrial Manpower Corporation Revises Number of Successful Candidates
from 5,059 to 5,054
Controversy has arisen among test-takers over poor exam management after it was revealed that five candidates who did not meet the passing criteria?including one who left during the exam?were listed as having passed the 34th Certified Labor Attorney (Gongin Nomusa) first-round exam. The Korea Industrial Manpower Corporation explained that this was due to a computer error and stated that the number of successful candidates has since been corrected.
On the 26th, the Korea Industrial Manpower Corporation, which oversees the Certified Labor Attorney exam, issued a correction notice, stating, "The number of successful candidates for the 34th Certified Labor Attorney first-round exam has been changed from the original 5,059 to 5,054, and we hereby announce this correction as follows."
The previous day, the Corporation had announced the list of successful candidates for the 34th Certified Labor Attorney first-round exam. However, controversy erupted after a post appeared on an online community for exam candidates, stating, "I left after the first session, giving up on the exam, but I was surprised to receive a congratulatory message on KakaoTalk for passing. It also shows as 'passed' on Q-Net." Q-Net is the website operated by the Korea Industrial Manpower Corporation for exam registration and announcement of results.
The first-round Certified Labor Attorney exam consists of a first session (two subjects) and a second session (three subjects). Candidates must take all subjects, achieve an average score of at least 60, and not score below 40 in any individual subject to pass. It is not possible to pass by taking only part of the exam.
This controversy has intensified doubts, especially as it coincided with a high pass rate. The pass rate for the 34th Certified Labor Attorney first-round exam was in the 49% range, an increase compared to the previous two years. In 2023, the rate was 35.05% (3,019 candidates), and in 2024, it was 22.39% (2,150 candidates).
One candidate who took this year's exam said, "The pass rate itself is surprisingly high, and now the exam is not even being managed properly. The Corporation owes us an apology."
The Corporation confirmed that a computer error had occurred, and after conducting a full review of all 10,238 candidates, five individuals who did not meet the passing criteria were disqualified.
The Corporation stated, "A computer error occurred during the announcement of the first-round Certified Labor Attorney exam results. After a complete review, we have re-announced the results for five candidates. We apologize for causing confusion among the test-takers." The Corporation added, "We will thoroughly review our processes at every stage up to the final third-round exam to prevent any further errors."
Regarding the pass rate, the Corporation explained, "The criteria for the pass rate cannot be artificially adjusted. The number of candidates varies each year, which results in fluctuations."
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