Education Minister: "Special Investigation into Uway Apply; Considering Comprehensive Overhaul of Public University Application System"

[Financial News]  
The system for submitting applications for early university admissions, which had been operated by private companies, is now facing a comprehensive overhaul following the outage that disrupted applications. The Ministry of Education has launched a special investigation into the cause of the Uway Apply system failure and the response process. Based on the findings, it will also consider transitioning to a public university application system.
Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin reported the status of the university application system outage and follow-up measures at a full meeting of the National Assembly Education Committee on the 16th. He said, "Based on the results of the special investigation, we will thoroughly establish responsibility and also consider overhauling the system into a public university application system." Regarding the Uway Apply application system outage on the 11th, Choi said, "As the person responsible for admissions policy and management, I feel a very heavy sense of responsibility for causing inconvenience and concern to applicants and their parents. I will do my utmost to ease their anxiety through thorough follow-up measures."
University applications are currently handled through individual contracts between each university and private application agencies. Uway Apply has contracts with 102 universities, while Jinhak Apply has contracts with 96. Eight universities have contracts with both companies, meaning that a total of 190 universities accept applications through the two agencies.
Applicants first create an integrated account with an application agency, complete a common application form, select the universities they wish to apply to, enter additional information required by each university, and pay the application fee. The two agencies’ common application systems are linked, allowing the same system to be used for applications to multiple universities.
The Uway Apply system outage occurred at around 5:50 p.m. on the 11th, 10 minutes before the deadline for early admissions applications. The system was restored at around 6:20 p.m., and the Ministry of Education and the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) extended the application deadline from the original 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in accordance with their response manual.
Choi said, "Our top priority in responding to this incident is to minimize disadvantages caused by the application system outage while ensuring fairness among applicants and the integrity of the university admissions process."
The Ministry of Education and KCUE are carrying out relief procedures only for applicants whose failure to complete their applications due to the system outage can be objectively verified through electronic records and other evidence. To qualify for relief, applicants must have an error log from 5:50 p.m., when the outage began. There must also be a record showing that they completed, saved, or submitted an application to the university for which they sought relief, or attempted to pay the application fee. If multiple application records exist, the decision will be based on the application that was completed or modified most recently.
The authorities are also reviewing fairness concerns that arose when the application period was extended by one hour. The 17 universities that disclosed their admission competition rates at the original 6 p.m. deadline were Gyeongin National University of Education, Kongju National University, Mokpo National University, Pukyong National University, Daegu University, Daeshin University, Dong-A University, Mokpo Catholic University, Catholic University of Pusan, Busan University of Foreign Studies, Seoul Hanyoung University, Sungkyunkwan University, Sejong University, Silla University, Korea Aerospace University, Handong Global University, and Hanyang University ERICA. Applications continued at these universities until 7 p.m. even after the competition rates were disclosed. Concerns were therefore raised that this could create a fairness issue between applicants who submitted applications after checking the published competition rates and those who applied before the original deadline.
Choi said, "I am well aware that many applicants and parents have raised concerns about fairness regarding the 17 universities that disclosed their competition rates during the extended application period and cases in which applicants submitted applications after checking those rates." He added, "We intend to closely analyze the relevant cases and, if unfairness is confirmed, consult with the universities and consider measures such as canceling the applications."
Depending on the results of the special investigation, the current application system centered on private agencies could itself be revised. The Ministry of Education plans to establish responsibility and prepare measures to prevent a recurrence based on the investigation’s findings. It will also consider transitioning to a public university application system.
[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter