During the National Assembly's Education Committee audit on October 7, lawmakers expressed strong criticism over the recent failure of the college application system. Opposition members accused the Education Ministry of neglecting its oversight responsibilities and shifting blame to private agencies, despite being aware of issues leading up to the deadline.
Chairwoman Kim Hee-jung joined in the criticism, challenging the Ministry's defensive reports and demanding concrete future measures. In response, Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin confirmed, "We aim to implement a public college application system as early as next year." This statement suggests a significant shift away from the current reliance on private agencies.
The afternoon session of the audit began with Jang Dong-hyuk, a member of the ruling party, presenting additional reports from the Education Ministry. He highlighted that YooWay, the agency responsible for the application system, failed to conduct compatibility checks and load tests after changing its server operating system. He pointed out that a similar issue had occurred the night before the deadline on September 10, yet no action was taken, leading to a repeat incident on September 11. Jang criticized the Ministry for knowing about the inadequate preparations but still placing all blame on YooWay, stating, "Unless we can turn back time, we cannot restore the situation for affected students, yet the Ministry is only focused on avoiding responsibility."
Lee In-sun, another ruling party member, probed into the Ministry's lack of a solid control tower and the inconsistent explanations from the Minister. She noted discrepancies in the timeline of events, questioning Choi's claim that he had directed an extension at 6:43 PM on September 14, while a report submitted to lawmakers indicated that the extension had already been decided between 6:04 and 6:20 PM. Lee also criticized the Minister for failing to account for his actions during the 50 minutes following the incident.
In defense, Minister Choi stated, "The decision to extend was made according to the manual on-site, and I directed the response after being informed at 6:43 PM." He added that the agency has been reluctant to provide documentation, but a thorough investigation involving external experts would be conducted.
Following the opposition's criticisms, Chairwoman Kim pressed the Education Ministry on its inadequate post-incident response and lack of fundamental solutions. She challenged the Ministry's claim of following existing procedures, stating, "Extending time and adding a date are fundamentally different actions," and criticized the false reporting regarding the manual's provisions for adding dates.
When Minister Choi acknowledged that adding a date was not in the manual but was done to assist students, Kim warned that without strict separation of time extensions and date additions in the regulations, future incidents could lead to chaos. She also questioned the clarity of the emergency communication protocols, to which Choi admitted, "I had not considered that aspect."
Kim continued to press for clarity on the transition to a public college application system, emphasizing that the Ministry's report on moving away from a private agency monopoly was not a trivial matter. She demanded a clear commitment from the Ministry regarding its intentions and timelines, stating, "This is not something that can be brushed aside. Given this incident, will the Ministry take responsibility and ensure a definitive transition?"
In response, Minister Choi reiterated, "We will set a direction and aim to implement the public system as soon as possible, potentially by next year." He noted that while there were legal issues during the initial push for implementation in 2016, the current situation clearly indicates agency accountability, which should facilitate overcoming those challenges.
Chairwoman Kim concluded by stressing the need for a comprehensive manual for the public system, warning that the current approach could lead to significant confusion in future admissions processes. She urged the Ministry to take decisive action to establish a responsible public college application system.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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