MBC 'PD Notebook' focuses on the darkest side of South Korea's private education market, highlighting the 'question trading' cartel between top instructors and current teachers.
In December, Jo Jung-sik and Hyun Woo-jin, known as the 'gods' of the entrance exam industry, were indicted for violating the Anti-Corruption Act, shocking the education sector. As a result of the prosecution's investigation, a total of 46 individuals, including large entrance exam companies and former and current teachers, faced legal judgment. Criticism has poured in as teachers, who should protect public education, have fallen to the level of 'subcontractors' for private education companies, receiving large sums of money.
The investigation revealed that this question trading was not a mere deviation but a deeply rooted practice. It was uncovered that professional brokers connecting current teachers and instructors were actively leading the backdoor dealings in the private education market.
"2 Million Won for a Killer Question"…The Dangerous Side Job of Teachers
The craze for 'real mock exams' dominating Daechi-dong has created an explosive demand for high-quality questions. The academy industry reached out to current teachers who are well-versed in the SAT question-setting system, and the scale of transactions was beyond imagination. Up to 2 million won was exchanged per question, and it was confirmed that some teachers earned over 600 million won in just five years. While some argue that this is a 'side job', it is hard to avoid criticism that it undermines the neutrality of public education.
According to an investigation by the Board of Audit and Inspection, many teachers who transacted over 50 million won with private education companies were former authors of EBS SAT-linked textbooks. They showed audacity by laundering funds through family accounts or reusing questions sold to academies in school internal exams. A teacher in Daegu even organized a question supply team and collected commissions worth hundreds of millions.
The Truth Behind the 'Hit Myth', Is It Skill or Transaction?
Suspicion has also been raised regarding the 'hit myth' of top instructors. Jo Jung-sik, who records annual sales of hundreds of billions won, made headlines by virtually hitting the SAT English passage number 23 for the 2023 academic year. He claims innocence, but 'PD Notebook' has secured testimonies from related parties to trace the hidden connections behind that astonishing coincidence.
The reality of 'traded hits' that thrive on the anxiety of test-takers and the 'Bad Teachers' who have turned the school environment into a means of making money will be revealed on MBC 'PD Notebook' on the night of the 3rd at 10:20 PM.
