The National Assembly's Education Committee will commence its audit on October 7. This year's audit will focus on significant educational issues, including the application system failures that confused students and parents during the 2027 college admissions process, allegations of exam question trading involving prominent instructors, proposed reforms to local education funding, and the negative impacts of deepfake technology on youth social media use.
According to the National Assembly and education sector sources, the audit will take place from October 7 to 23, covering 67 institutions, including the Ministry of Education and the National Education Commission. The first day of the audit will involve eight national agencies, including the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Korean History.
On October 12, the audit will extend to 13 public and related organizations, including the Korean Council for University Education and the Korea Educational and Research Information Service. On October 14, education offices from the Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon regions will be audited, followed by universities and university hospitals in the metropolitan area on October 16. Audits of local education offices and regional national universities will take place on October 20 and 21, respectively, concluding with a comprehensive audit on October 23.
Accountability for Application System Failures and Private Education Cartels
One of the major issues in this year's audit is the system failure that occurred just before the deadline for college admissions. The Education Committee plans to summon Uway Apply CEO Seong Yoon-seok to testify on October 12. Lawmakers from both parties will rigorously question the root causes of the system crash, the appropriateness of the one-hour extension for applications, and the fairness of the remedial measures taken afterward. There is also expected to be strong criticism of the Ministry of Education and the Korean Council for University Education's inadequate response and oversight following the incident.
Another key focus will be the investigation into allegations of exam question trading and the private education cartel. On October 7, prominent English instructor Cho Jeong-sik from MegaStudy will testify regarding illegal transactions with current teachers. Businessman Kim Bae-gwan is also expected to provide testimony about the practices of question trading in the private education sector.
Additionally, Jeong Seung-je, a math instructor from Etoos, will appear as a witness on October 7 to share his views on the integrated math problems set to be introduced in the 2028 college entrance exam. On October 16, Professor Park Mi-ja from Seoul National University and Kim Sang-gon, chairman of the Korean Association of Singers, will be summoned as witnesses to scrutinize the practices surrounding entrance exam corruption in music colleges.
Debate Over Education Fund Reforms and High School Credit System Disparities
Anticipated debates will also center on significant educational policies, including the reform of local education funding and the high school credit system. The government is pushing to revise the funding calculation system in response to declining school-age populations, but some in the education sector are strongly opposing this move, arguing it ignores fixed financial needs such as maintenance of aging facilities and staff salaries, leading to expected fierce confrontations.
The high school credit system, set for full implementation next year, is also facing criticism for creating significant disparities in course offerings and teacher availability based on regional and school size. Lawmakers are expected to press for effective, tailored plans for teacher recruitment to address these issues.
Digital Education Challenges and Social Media Issues Under Scrutiny
The recent introduction of digital devices in education and the problems associated with harmful content on youth social media will also be closely examined. On October 7, Park Seung-jae, head of the Educational Innovation Research Institute at the Korea Education Development Institute, will testify regarding the legal responsibilities related to the upcoming introduction of AI digital textbooks.
Furthermore, representatives from ByteDance (TikTok Korea) and Meta Korea, Jeong Jae-hoon and Heo Wook, respectively, will appear on October 7 to discuss measures to prevent the spread of harmful content, such as street fighting videos among youth. On October 23, Kim Jong-yoon, CEO of Scatter Lab, will testify regarding issues related to youth AI chatbot services.
The audit will also address longstanding issues of corruption in private education and allegations surrounding local education projects. On October 7, former Seoul Science and Technology University President Jo Dong-seong will testify regarding private education corruption, while on October 14, Ha Mi-jin, head of the Media Education Center at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, and Vice Principal Bae Jeong-yi will be called to clarify allegations of favoritism in the 'High Learning' project. On October 23, Ju Myung-geon, honorary director of Daeyang Academy, will be summoned to discuss the management of Sejong Hotel and corporate assets, while Hwang Mun-chan, director of Paichai University, will address foundation corruption allegations.
Additionally, on October 7, Lee Boo-ha, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, will be asked to address and apologize for issues related to educational discrimination in hiring, while on October 23, Ulsan University President Oh Yeon-cheon will testify regarding the normalization of local medical schools.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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