Controversy Over Yonsei Mock Exam Similar Questions in Bar Exam... Ministry of Justice "Verifying Facts"

"Necessary Measures Will Be Taken According to Law and Principles"
"Ensuring No Compromise to the Fairness of the Bar Exam"

On the 5th, officials are holding a support banner at the lawyer exam venue at Yonsei University in Seodaemun-gu.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The Ministry of Justice has launched an investigation after allegations arose that some questions from the 10th Bar Examination, held since the 5th, bear structural similarities to mock exam questions from Yonsei University Law School.

The Ministry of Justice stated that it will verify the facts and take measures to ensure the fairness of the bar exam is not compromised. If the allegations are confirmed, it is expected that the problematic questions will be invalidated or all examinees will be marked correct for those questions to eliminate any disputes over fairness.

On the 8th, the Ministry of Justice announced, "There have been claims that some of the public law essay questions on Day 1 were structured similarly to mock exam questions from a certain law school, and we are currently verifying the facts."

The Ministry added, "None of the public law essay question writers are professors affiliated with the said law school," but also stated, "We will take necessary actions according to laws and principles once the facts are confirmed."

They continued, "Under no circumstances will we allow the fairness of the bar exam to be compromised," and urged, "We ask all examinees to do their best on the remaining exams."

Previously, a lawyer posted on social media (SNS) a message titled "The 10th Bar Exam Questions and a Certain School’s Mock Exam Questions," raising suspicion by saying, "Is this possible in the bar exam? For reference, these questions are not found in any commercial textbooks."

The controversial bar exam question is known to be based on a fictional meeting record where a local government attempts to develop a complex by expropriating forest land owned by a Jongjung (ancestral clan), and the Jongjung representative opposes and consults a law firm to file a lawsuit. The question asks about the grounds and procedures to seek invalidation of the expropriation decision.

The explanation materials for the Yonsei University Law School mock exam questions, which sparked the similarity controversy, also deal with a local government expropriating land owned by a Jongjung, and the legal arguments asserting the invalidity of the land expropriation committee’s decision are similarly aligned.

Although the specific university name was not mentioned, it has been confirmed that the explanation materials were distributed at Yonsei University Law School.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.