This past week the College Board, which administers the U.S. Scholastic Aptitude Test, canceled the May administration of the test for the entire country of South Korea, and only for South Korea. The rest of the world took the test as scheduled. While the exact reasons were not explicitly described, an email communiqu to the applicants stated that it appeared likely that some prospective test takers here had already been exposed to some of the questions. 

Behind this delicate description is the fact that the Seoul Central Prosecutors Office, after raiding a number of private cram schools in Seoul, felt it necessary to contact and advise the College Board that testing materials had been exposed. And while the College Board should be commended for its circumspect wording, and the prosecutor service for its honesty, the hard truth of the matter is that South Korea is gaining an international reputation as a country of cheaters.

Whether this reputation is deserved is debatable. What is not up for debate is the fact that too many times in the past few years South Korean students, researchers, scientists, professors and politicians have been exposed for cheating on exams, plagiarizing their papers, falsifying their credentials and falsifying their research results. From the cancellation of SAT test scores in 2007 to the revelation of the fraudulent stem cell research in 2006, to the repeated instances of professors, government officials and even National Assembly members with plagiarized dissertations and faked degrees from prestigious U.S. universities, many from the West are beginning to question what is going on in South Korea. And while differences in scholastic training, especially the focus on rote memorization, may explain the many instances of plagiarism, such differences cannot excuse outright cheating and the falsification of research and credentials that occurs here.

Of even more concern is the fact that recent surveys of college professors show that a large majority fail to report such behavior even when they are aware of it and that there is a silent majority who would rather bury their head in the proverbial sand than even be aware of such behavior. But condemning the entirety of South Korea is premature because as the country has stepped onto the international stage such pitfalls were inevitable. In the process of transforming from a third world country to a member of the OECD, the necessity of focusing on growth and success at any cost has had the concomitant misfortunate effect of skewing the ethics of too many parents and warping the educational priorities of their children.

Fortunately a new focus on a creative economy and the realization of many here that South Korea has already succeeded is providing new strength to those voices calling for a reform of the educational system. Proposals have been put forth for a change in the practice of rote memorization and new methods of teaching are being taught at the university level. These changes and the many new opportunities for students to focus on nontraditional careers are providing a much needed counterweight to the old ways.

Also offsetting the crimes of the few without conscience is the fact that it is clear that the government and the prosecutorial service are taking the situation seriously. Unfortunately, the courts still too often continue to fail in their duties. This failure is shown most clearly by the recent questionable acquittal of the accused mastermind of the 2007 SAT controversy. An acquittal that becomes even more questionable when one considers that one of the cram schools involved in the current SAT controversy was founded by the same individual. Fortunately the mendacity of the courts has not slowed the prosecutorial services continued pursuit of the matter. And it was the hard work of the prosecutorial service that resulted in the College Board being aware of the current problem.

Thus, while at times it seems that the number of instances of academic dishonesty are too great to overcome, and while the cancellation of the SAT test last Saturday was unsurprising to anyone who has spent time in South Korea, the change in South Korea is evident by the simple fact of exposure. For a culture based on shame, the exposure of the misconduct of these individuals is a necessary precursor to change. As more and more professors, National Assembly members, government officials, celebrities and other high profile individuals are exposed for such misconduct, the entire culture of South Korea will be forced to change for the better. The lights are on in the academic room of South Korea, let the rats run and hide. 

By Daniel Fiedler

Daniel Fiedler has been a professor of law in South Korea since 2006 and a licensed attorney in California since 2000 and Arizona since 1998. ― Ed.