Three questions allegedly leaked via text message during Yonsei Univ. essay test

A new allegation has surfaced in the controversy over the leaked exam questions from Yonsei University's 2025 early admission essay test. It claims that a test-taker received advance access to the exam paper and shared details of three questions via text message with another test-taker at a different location.

According to Student A, who is preparing a class-action lawsuit regarding the leak, the issue arose after an exam supervisor mistakenly distributed the test papers an hour early and then retracted them. A student at that location reportedly shared information about three questions, including two short-answer and one essay question, via text message to another student around 1:27 p.m., about 30 minutes before the exam began.

The controversial exam, part of the early admission process for natural sciences at Yonsei University, consisted of six questions: four short-answer questions and two essay questions. Therefore, information on half of the exam had been leaked in advance. The student who shared the information is also reportedly involved in the class-action lawsuit.

Previously, Yonsei University had issued two statements, asserting that test supervisors had instructed students to turn off their phones and store them in bags, and that the exam papers were covered by practice sheets. The university maintained that students could neither view nor share the questions via mobile devices. Based on this, the university concluded that there was no evidence of exam questions being leaked before the test and declared there would be no retest.

However, many students insist that a retest is unavoidable, with information about the exam appearing online before the test and being shared among test-takers. If the university continues to refuse a retest, the students plan to file a lawsuit to invalidate the exam and seek a court injunction to suspend the test results. As of Thursday morning, around 100 students and parents had agreed to join the lawsuit.


여근호 기자 yeoroot@donga.com