In response to unprecedented access issues during the 2027 college admissions application process, Seong Yoon-seok, CEO of Uway Apply, will testify at the National Assembly.
On September 29, the National Assembly's Education Committee held a full meeting to approve the '2026 National Assembly Audit Plan,' 'National Assembly Audit Report and Document Submission Requests,' and 'Witness Attendance Requests.' This year's audit will take place from October 7 to 23, covering 67 institutions, including the Ministry of Education and the National Education Commission. The committee confirmed the attendance of 19 witnesses, including Seong Yoon-seok, and four reference witnesses regarding the application access issues.
During the meeting, lawmakers from both parties expressed strong criticism over the access issues. They pledged to thoroughly investigate the causes of the system errors, the fairness of the extended application process, and the Ministry of Education's overall management failures.
Lee In-seon, a member of the ruling People Power Party, stated, "The one-hour extension for applications due to access issues is an unprecedented event in 20 years that could alter students' futures. Of the 1,588 relief requests submitted to the Ministry of Education, only 414 were recognized as valid, but concerns about fairness in the extended application process remain." He emphasized the need to clarify why the system failed, whether the relief criteria were fair, and the Ministry's responsibilities.
Similarly, fellow party member Seo Beom-soo criticized the Ministry and the Korea Council for University Education for failing to provide necessary data, merely stating they were 'requesting it from the agency.' He argued that despite the Ministry's overall responsibility, it appeared to be deferring to the agency, insisting that the audit must hold the agency officials, the council, and the Minister of Education accountable.
Democratic Party member Kim Jun-hyuk also called for a thorough investigation into the incident, noting that while there are physical constraints to holding a separate hearing during the audit period, it is reasonable to conduct a comprehensive investigation within the audit itself.
Education Committee Chair Kim Hee-jung acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and promised a thorough investigation during the audit. She pointed out that upon reviewing data from the Korea Council for University Education, the system had been left vulnerable, allowing competition rates to be inferred through application numbers. She noted that the education administration had pressured students into a last-minute competition for login records.
Kim added, "As the lawmakers have pointed out, this situation must not be overlooked. We will ensure that sufficient materials are secured during the audit so that our children can trust the Education Committee and focus solely on their studies."
Meanwhile, the Education Committee decided to implement a paperless 'electronic National Assembly' by accepting document submissions via email and USB. The deadline for the submission of 14,849 documents requested by committee members is set for October 2 at 4 p.m. Additional witness and reference witness selections must be communicated at least seven days before the attendance request date.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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