In response to an unprecedented server crash just before the deadline for the 2027 college admissions applications, Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin officially apologized during a National Assembly meeting on September 16. The Ministry of Education has formed a special investigation team in collaboration with the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) to investigate the incident. They are considering canceling applications in cases where unfair practices are suspected, particularly during the 'one-hour extension' period.
During the National Assembly Education Committee meeting, Minister Choi reported on the status and measures regarding the college application system failure. He apologized for the technical issues that occurred on September 11 with the application service provider, Uway Apply, and outlined plans for relief criteria and follow-up actions for the 17 universities that disclosed their competition rates.
Minister Choi: "I feel a heavy sense of responsibility... reviewing public application system reform"
In his report, Minister Choi expressed deep regret as the head of admissions management. He stated, "I feel a heavy sense of responsibility as the person in charge of admissions policy and management for the inconvenience and concerns caused to students and parents. I will do my utmost to alleviate these anxieties through thorough follow-up measures."
The Ministry of Education suspects that the cause of the failure was a conflict between certain functions during a security system upgrade. Given the seriousness of the situation, the Ministry and KCUE have launched a comprehensive on-site investigation of Uway Apply from September 16 to 23.
Minister Choi emphasized, "We will thoroughly identify responsibility based on the results of the special investigation and ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the upcoming regular admissions. We will also consider reforming the public application system in the long term." This indicates an acknowledgment of the fundamental limitations of relying entirely on a few private companies (Uway Apply, Jinhak Apply) for such a critical national task.
Of 1,200 applicants eligible for relief, strict criteria will apply... "No unfairness"
Following the incident, approximately 1,200 students who were unable to submit their applications despite the one-hour extension were identified. However, not all of them will receive relief.
To ensure fairness among applicants, the Ministry has established strict relief principles based on objective data. The specific criteria include: applicants who have error logs at the time of the system failure (5:50 PM), those with a history of application submission attempts to the university they are applying to, and only the last submission attempt will be considered for those with multiple application histories.
Individual relief applications through Uway Apply will conclude on September 16, and if all three criteria are applied, the actual number of students receiving relief is expected to be significantly lower than 1,200.
17 universities, including Sungkyunkwan University and Hanyang University (ERICA), disclose competition rates... "Cancellation of applications under review"
Regarding the contentious issue of 'sneak peeking' (checking competition rates before applying), the Ministry has taken a firm stance. According to the Ministry's findings, despite the one-hour extension, 17 universities disclosed their competition rates based on the original deadline of 6 PM.
The universities that disclosed their competition rates include Sungkyunkwan University, Hanyang University (ERICA), Sejong University, Korea Aerospace University, Gyeongin National University of Education, Kongju National University, Mokpo National University, Pukyong National University, Daegu University, Daeshin University, Dong-A University, Mokpo Catholic University, Busan Catholic University, Busan University of Foreign Studies, Seoul Han-young University, Silla University, and Handong Global University.
Minister Choi acknowledged the concerns regarding fairness in cases where applications were submitted after checking competition rates, stating, "I am well aware of the concerns regarding fairness in cases where applications were submitted after checking competition rates. We will closely analyze related cases and, if unfairness is confirmed, we will consider measures such as application cancellations in consultation with the respective universities."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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