(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Jang Bo-in – In relation to the controversy over the leak of the essay questions for the 2025 admissions at Yonsei University’s natural sciences division, some applicants have initiated legal action. Attorney Kim Jung-seon from Ilwon Law Office, who is representing the group lawsuit, announced on the 21st that they have filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Western District Court to nullify the Yonsei University’s natural science essay test and applied for a provisional disposition to suspend its effect.
There are 18 students and parents participating in this lawsuit. Other students, who still need to prepare for the CSAT or are worried about disadvantages, have chosen to support the lawsuit through submitting statements and evidence instead of officially joining the lawsuit.
Attorney Kim pointed out, “Since private university entrance exams are directly linked to students’ college admissions, they need at least CSAT-level management. However, the truth is that exams have been managed negligently, exploiting the students’ inability to fully protest against unfair practices due to longstanding issues.”
He added, “The fact that this is happening at Yonsei University, considered one of the top universities in Korea, could set a precedent that all universities could carry out college entrance exams negligently and unfairly without consequences if we let this situation slide.”
Furthermore, he noted, “The results of the Yonsei University mathematical essay exam are expected to be announced early on November 15th (as it has been in previous years, the day after the CSAT). Considering the necessity for a retest, it is most desirable that the lawsuit results be reached before November 15th and that a retest take place around December 1st. I hope for a swift and accurate judgment from the court.”
Attorney Kim had previously handled the lawsuit regarding the error in the 2022 CSAT Life Sciences II section, in which the court ruled in favor of the students by canceling the answer.
Students and parents claim that due to Yonsei University’s lax management and supervision, information regarding the exam questions was leaked, compromising fairness.
Previously, on October 12th, at one exam venue where Yonsei University’s natural sciences division essay test was held, a mishap occurred where the test paper was distributed an hour before the exam started due to a supervisor’s mistake and then retrieved, leading to rumors that the questions were leaked during this process.
Among the students, there were claims that a student at the venue sent information about the questions to a friend at another venue via a mobile message.
Additionally, during the natural science essay exam, a mistake occurred where the symbol ‘b’ was miswritten as ‘a’ on question 4-2. The school announced this issue 30 minutes before the end of the exam and extended the exam time by 20 minutes. However, students expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the method of notification differed at each venue, causing confusion.
Yonsei University maintains the position that no objective fact of a question paper being leaked before the exam start, thus violating the integrity of the admissions process, has been discovered. However, they have requested the police to investigate whether there were any actions that compromised fairness throughout the exam process.
The university also filed a complaint with the police against candidates suspected of illegally photographing and posting the question papers online after the exam ended, alleging business obstruction charges.