During a National Assembly audit on October 7, lawmakers sharply criticized the Education Ministry for a technical failure that disrupted the college admissions application process. Lee Ju-young, a member of the Reform Party, directed his ire at Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin, accusing the ministry of inadequate crisis management and a lack of effective follow-up measures.
Lee opened by stating that the serious flaws in the early admissions application process would inevitably impact the upcoming regular admissions cycle. He pointed out that the ministry's poor manual management and the sequential issuance of application numbers created vulnerabilities that allowed for speculation on competition rates.
With over 3,000 additional applications resulting from the technical errors, Lee noted that only three instances were recorded where the ministry recommended canceling applications based on competition rate checks from university websites. He criticized the ministry for failing to monitor various alternative channels through which students could ascertain competition rates.
In response, Minister Choi expressed, "As I have stated multiple times regarding the early admissions failure, I feel a heavy sense of responsibility. We will do our utmost to prevent further confusion during the ongoing regular admissions process."
However, Lee pressed further, referencing Choi's previous comments about "actual victims or psychological victims" and asserting that using the term "psychological damage" signals to students that the government is evading responsibility. He provided evidence that, during the extended application period, final competition rates for some universities were released at 6:53 PM, just minutes before the application deadline, and were rapidly disseminated on social media and student communities.
Lee argued that such leaks, given the structure of the admissions process allowing for six applications, could lead to significant and tangible harm, including disqualifying students who might have otherwise been accepted. He criticized the ministry for not even assessing the extent of the leaks or implementing any countermeasures. He questioned how first-time applicants could trust the government after such an experience and asked if there was enough time to prepare effective simulations and measures before the regular admissions.
When Choi mentioned that the manuals for early and regular admissions differ, Lee condemned the ministry's slow response, noting that they had not even begun revising the regular admissions manual. He pointed out that if proper discussions had taken place beforehand, measures could have been established to reduce confusion, such as new regulations for admissions outside of standard quotas, but the situation had already progressed to the point of announcing the first round of early admissions results.
Lee highlighted that the current manual lacks emergency procedures for the application deadline day, which prevents the ministry from holding the Korea Council for University Education (KCUE) or the contracted agency legally or administratively accountable in the event of an incident. He concluded that the responsible parties had vanished while the burden of the fallout fell entirely on the students, demanding that the ministry submit specific countermeasures, including the issuance of random application numbers, before the upcoming comprehensive audit.
In his reply, Minister Choi stated, "In light of this incident, we are revising the manual to ensure that application status updates are released the day after the application deadline rather than in real-time." He added that the ministry is closely reviewing options to randomize application numbers to prevent students from deducing overall competition rates.
Choi promised to implement measures to avoid further technical issues or side effects during the regular admissions process and to report back to the National Assembly before the comprehensive audit. He also mentioned that the ministry would consider taking direct control of the college admissions process at a national level, rather than relying solely on private companies, as part of a comprehensive long-term strategy.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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