Aftermath of Early Admissions System Outage... Cancellation of Applications Submitted After Viewing Competition Rates and Overhaul of Public System Under Consideration

[Financial News] Regarding the fairness concerns raised by the early admissions application system outage on the 11th, the Ministry of Education is analyzing cases involving 17 universities that disclosed their competition rates at the original 6 p.m. deadline during the extended period. If unfairness is confirmed, the ministry will consider canceling the applications. Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said this at a plenary meeting of the National Assembly Education Committee on the 16th, adding, "Using this incident as an opportunity, we will also consider comprehensively reorganizing the current university application system, which is operated under contracts between universities and private agencies, into a public system."
The Ministry of Education decided to assist applicants who suffered disadvantages because they were unable to complete their applications due to the outage, after verifying objective electronic records. Minister Choi Kyo-jin stated, "For applicants who suffered disadvantages because of the system outage, we are carrying out relief procedures only when it is objectively confirmed that they were unable to complete their applications."
Eligibility for relief will be determined based on 5:50 p.m., when the outage occurred. System error logs must remain, and records must confirm attempts to write, save, submit, or pay for an application to the relevant university. If multiple application records exist, the final draft or revision will be used as the basis. Applicants can request relief through the relief-request bulletin board on the UWAYAPPLY website, and applications will be accepted from the 14th through the 16th.
The outage occurred for approximately 30 minutes, from 5:50 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. on the 11th, the deadline for early admissions applications. It was found to have resulted from a conflict between certain functions during UWAYAPPLY's security-system upgrade. However, the Ministry of Education said the precise cause would be determined through a special investigation. The system was fully restored at 6:20 p.m., after which the application deadline was extended to 7 p.m.
University applications are currently handled through a structure in which individual universities contract with application agencies. UWAYAPPLY and Jinhakapply operate the systems, with UWAYAPPLY holding contracts with 102 universities and Jinhakapply with 96. Eight universities have contracts with both agencies. Applicants submit early, regular, and additional admissions applications through the agencies.
Fairness concerns emerged after some universities disclosed their competition rates at the original 6 p.m. deadline during the extended application period. According to the Ministry of Education, 17 universities disclosed their competition rates during the extension. After reviewing those rates, the ministry will analyze cases in which applications were submitted and, if unfairness is confirmed, consider measures such as canceling the applications in consultation with the universities concerned.
The Ministry of Education and the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) will form a special investigation team on the 16th and begin investigating the outage. The investigation, scheduled to continue through the 23rd, will examine the cause of UWAYAPPLY's system outage, its response, and its overall operating and management systems. The investigation period may be extended if necessary. Based on the findings, the Ministry of Education plans to determine responsibility and establish measures to prevent a recurrence.
Minister Choi said, "We will respond to ensure that similar cases do not occur during the upcoming regular admissions application period." He added, "Based on the results of the special investigation, we will determine responsibility and also consider reorganizing the system into a public application system."

[email protected] Man-gi Kim Reporter