Korea University’s law school to hold extra oral exams after paper mishap

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Korea University’s law school to hold extra oral exams after paper mishap

Published: 29 Nov. 2024, 11:48

Korea University Campus [KOREA UNIVERSITY]

Korea University’s law school will hold an additional round of oral exams for its master’s program applicants after some test-takers did not receive the required exam papers during the initial exam.

“During the oral exams for the 2025 master’s program at Korea University’s College of Law on Nov. 23, a portion of participants were not provided with the exam paper while answering questions,” the school said in an apology posted on its official website on Thursday. “We will conduct an extra round of oral exams for those affected who wish to participate.”

While no formal complaints were filed during the objection period, which ended on Wednesday, the school decided to conduct additional interviews to ensure fairness in the admissions process.

The Law School’s prompt action follows a recent backlash against Yonsei University for mishandling a leaked essay question during an early admissions entrance exam for its natural sciences department. Although Yonsei eventually decided to hold an extra round of exams for affected test-takers next month, its initial refusal to take responsibility and delayed response drew criticism from students and parents.

The oral exam process at Korea University’s Law School begins with applicants preparing their responses to a provided question in a preparation room. Applicants have 14 minutes to write their responses on paper before proceeding to an interview room for an 11-minute oral exam, during which they can reference their notes.

The issue occurred during the interview stage, when some applicants were not given the prepared questions again for reference, raising concerns about fairness.

Of the 285 test-takers, 58 were confirmed to have been affected. The specific date for the retake has not yet been disclosed.

The school also apologized to the affected test-takers and their parents, stating that it would take “firm measures to prevent recurrence.”

“A thorough review of the causes, processes and responsibilities will be conducted to ensure this does not happen again. We deeply regret this incident and are committed to improving the overall admissions process.”

As a result of the additional interviews, the announcement of the admissions results, originally scheduled for Dec. 6, has been postponed to mid-December.

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]