Song Gap-seok: "Excluding Killer Questions as Lee's Pledge? The Problem Is That the CSAT Is 5 Months Away"

Democratic Party Lawmaker, SBS Radio Interview
"Admission Changes Should Be Discussed at Least 3 Years in Advance"

Song Gap-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 21st rebutted criticism that President Yoon Seok-yeol's directive to exclude killer questions from the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was a campaign promise of Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, saying, "The problem is the president's statement made just a few months before the CSAT."

In an interview with SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' on the same day, Rep. Song said, "If we look simply at the exclusion of killer questions itself, many discussions can be centered around this."

Rep. Song added, "When we talk about the CSAT system, even if we take the shortest period, it is at least three years ago," and said, "The issue is that a statement that could fundamentally change the exam questions came from the president's mouth just a few months before the CSAT."

He emphasized that to prevent confusion among examinees and parents, changes to college admissions should be announced and implemented with at least a three-year notice.

Song Gap-seok, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Photo by Yonhap News]

When the host asked, "So, is it just a matter of timing, and the direction of excluding killer questions itself is correct?" he replied, "It is not a matter of whether the direction itself is right or wrong." Rep. Song said, "Whether to eliminate or maintain killer questions is an issue that should be approached comprehensively by considering the overall college entrance system and exam system."

As the government and the ruling party announced a policy to exclude killer questions to address the intensification of private education, the Democratic Party criticized it as "the worst educational disaster following the controversy over the admission of 5-year-old children to elementary school."

Park Kwang-on, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at a floor strategy meeting on the 20th, "If you think that eliminating the CSAT's 'killer questions (ultra-difficult questions)' will eliminate private education expenses, you are oversimplifying the issue," adding, "It is a priority to increase investment in public education to improve the quality of school education and find ways to reduce university hierarchy."

In response, the People Power Party countered, saying, "Excluding killer questions was Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign promise." Kang Min-guk, the senior spokesperson of the People Power Party, issued a statement on the same day, pointing out, "Killer questions are difficult to prepare for at school, pushing children into the private education market," and "Excluding killer questions that are not part of the curriculum was a campaign promise of Lee Jae-myung during the last presidential election."

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