'Entrance Exam Company Comment Manipulation' Whistleblower Instructor 'Sapjaru' Passes Away at 59
Star Lecturer 'Sapjaru' Woo Hyeongcheol Passes Away
Famous entrance exam instructor Woo Hyung-cheol, known as 'Sapjalu,' who exposed the manipulation of comments for self-promotion and criticism of competitors in the entrance exam industry, has passed away at the age of 59. On the 13th, Yonhap News and other media outlets reported, citing the bereaved family, that "Mr. Woo passed away this morning." The cause of death was not disclosed according to the family's wishes.
On the morning of March 7, 2017, at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, Woo Hyung-cheol, a private academy instructor, is making a related statement at a press conference hosted by the Parents' Association for Normalizing Private Education, calling for the reporting and eradication of illegal private education promotions. Photo by Yonhap News
View original imageIn 2017, Mr. Woo revealed that the entrance exam company he belonged to, Etoos Education (Etoos), hired comment workers to write posts that disparaged competing academies or instructors and manipulated search rankings as part of their marketing. He exposed the comment manipulation practices in the entrance exam academy industry and formed the 'Clean Online Lecture Council' with other instructors opposing such manipulation.
Following Mr. Woo's revelations, investigative agencies launched an investigation, and in 2021, the Supreme Court sentenced Etoos CEO Kim Hyung-joong, who was charged with obstruction of business and violation of the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation), to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation. Jung, the head of Etoos's online business division, who was also tried alongside Kim, received a confirmed prison sentence of 1 year and 6 months.
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Meanwhile, Mr. Woo's funeral was held at Severance Hospital Sinchon Funeral Hall, Room 17. The funeral procession was scheduled for midnight on the 15th.
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