Govt. to review college admission policy amid controversy

South Korea's education minister said Thursday the government will review the country's college admission policy following a recent debate over a policy that may benefit students with influential parents.

"Public distrust in the 'hakjong' system is great. (We) will review almost everything, including a possible revocation of (assessing) extracurricular activities (as part of admissions policy)," Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hae, who doubles as education minister, said.

Yoo added that "the power of parents affecting their children's university admission results is something that is absolutely not acceptable."

Under the "hakjong" system, roughly seven out of 10 students enter college through an evaluation of their extracurricular activities and school grades, in contrast to the "suneung" system, in which students across the nation take an entrance exam on one single day.


Yonsei University (Yonhap)
The fact that extracurricular activities are not quantifiable and may depend on the type of internship and other opportunities students experience has sparked a debate on the hakjong system's fairness.

Recent allegations that children of important politicians, such as Justice Minister Cho Kuk and main opposition party floor leader Na Kyung-won, took part in special internships and scientific projects because of their parents' ties further fueled the controversy.

Yoo said the ministry will first look into 13 universities that tend to accept more students from private or special-purpose elite high schools, which are known to provide their students with more time for extracurricular activities and thus heavily rely on the hakjong system.

In a televised statement on Sept. 9, President Moon Jae-in also stressed that his cabinet has striven to correct the privileges and unfairness that are rife in Korean society.

"We will reform policies that serve as a wellspring for vested interests and irrationality that put our people in despair," he said, specifically mentioning plans to review policies that might deter fairness in college admission. (Yonhap)

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