Human Rights Commission: "Restricting Bathroom Use During National Agency Qualification Exams Is a Human Rights Violation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has ruled that restricting restroom use for test-takers during national agency qualification exams constitutes a human rights violation.

On the 11th, the Human Rights Commission recommended to the Minister of Science and ICT to improve related policies to allow test-takers of the Software Competency Test (TOPCIT) to use the restroom during the exam. The commission stated, "Restricting restroom use during exam time infringes on human dignity and value, the right to pursue happiness, and general freedom of action."

Previously, the commission received a complaint from a TOPCIT test-taker who claimed that prohibiting restroom use during the 2-hour and 30-minute exam violated their human rights. The exam administering agency, the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation, argued that allowing restroom use and re-entry could infringe on other test-takers' rights and raise concerns about cheating. They also claimed it would be difficult to control if multiple test-takers requested restroom use or if the same test-taker repeatedly requested it.

However, the Human Rights Commission judged that restricting restroom use without any alternative measures such as deploying additional personnel could violate human dignity. The commission cited as grounds that ▲ physiological needs are the most basic human desires and instincts, and ▲ some national qualification exams and the College Scholastic Ability Test allow restroom use during exams without operational issues arising.

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