A man in his 20s has been reported to police without detention for allegedly canceling his registration on the website of a university where a fellow exam taker who attended the same study institute passed. The man has been charged with violating the 'Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc.' This law prescribes a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won for unauthorized use of another person's information to access a system.
The victim, referred to as A, had passed the regular admission process for Soongsil University this year and was awaiting enrollment after paying the tuition fee. However, he received a notice that his admission was canceled. He received a text stating that 'the tuition refund was completed,' despite having never canceled his admission.
A later explained the situation to the school and reported it to the police. B, a 20-year-old who attended the same study institute, was identified as a suspect. A reported receiving an Instagram message from B the day after receiving the university's 'tuition refund' text. The message said, “I found out your ID and password, so I just clicked to cancel your university registration. I have regretted it painfully for a day.” Although A and B sat next to each other in the same study institute, they had no interaction.
A police official stated, “Since B has already confessed, we are currently investigating him as a suspect after booking him without detention. We will ascertain the motive behind B's attempts to cancel A's admission on the Soongsil University website.” B reportedly visited Soongsil University on the 17th to explain the situation and also wrote a statement of fact. Following internal discussions, Soongsil University processed A’s re-enrollment on the 18th.
Similar cases have occurred in the past. In 2015, C, who was accepted to Korea University, posted acceptance documents on his social media that contained personal information such as his date of birth, exam number, and phone number. The police identified D as a suspect after a month-long investigation. It was found that D, who had applied to the same university but failed, accessed the school website to cancel C's admission. D reportedly used the method of gathering personal information, including C's account number, and then deceived the university admission agency over the phone by claiming he had forgotten his ID and password to get them reissued. Subsequently, Korea University processed C’s re-enrollment.
In relation to this, lawyer Moon Yu-jin, a former judge, noted, “If someone cancels another person's university registration, they may also face additional charges of obstruction of business, punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 15 million won,” adding that “this applies even if the school processes the victim’s re-enrollment.”