[Column] Endless Debate Over 'Killer Questions' Without Alternatives... The Classic Criticism from Generation Z

"With just one word from the president about (excluding killer questions), everything turned into a mess." (Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea)

"Excluding killer questions is Leader Lee Jae-myung's pledge. The Democratic Party has made hypocrisy and shameless changing of words a daily routine." (Jo Su-jin, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party)

After President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned excluding killer questions from the CSAT, the ruling and opposition parties engaged in fierce disputes. The opposition criticized President Yoon's remarks for causing confusion at the CSAT sites, while the ruling party counterattacked, saying it was a measure to block the private education cartel. However, something important was missing: the consideration of "how to reduce the burden of private education."

Private education expenses have surpassed the highest ever at 26 trillion won, being cited as the main culprit making the livelihoods of ordinary people difficult. The president's remarks came from this background. Democratic Party members of the National Assembly's Education Committee also sympathized, saying, "'Questions outside the curriculum should be excluded from the CSAT' is not a wrong statement by the president." The problem was that there was no cooperation to solve the fundamental task, only baseless criticism and one-sided defense.

However, university students, called the 'Generation Z,' were different. On the 22nd, the Democratic Party Seoul Metropolitan Committee's University Student Committee held a press conference criticizing President Yoon's remarks on excluding killer questions. This was around the time when criticism such as "The president is the killer" was pouring in from inside and outside the political circle. The opposition-affiliated University Student Committee urged that "instead of adjusting question difficulty, the introduction of mandatory CSAT explanations should be implemented," calling for the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation to publish official explanations for past exam questions.

For the past 30 years, the Institute has only disclosed the correct answers for the CSAT and has never provided official explanations. Therefore, students who need to study past questions have no choice but to listen to explanations and lectures provided by the private education industry. They said that making the publication of explanations for the CSAT and the June and September mock exams mandatory would build trust in the CSAT and reduce dependence on private education, thus serving as a practical measure to alleviate the burden of private education.

Although it is not a fundamental solution to the private education problem, it was a realistic idea reflecting the current situation with only five months left until the CSAT. The fact that it was a 'criticism with alternatives' made it even more welcome. Lee Hak-jun, chairman (Sungkonghoe University, 4th year), said, "The reason we engage in politics is for a slightly better life for the younger generation," adding, "We tried to create alternatives beyond mere criticism." Isn't this the very 'essence of criticism'? The political world should reflect on whether it has ever made criticisms with alternatives, as it has focused too much on tearing down the opponent.

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