Exam body failed to catch its own blunder as next day's test questions were opened early and spread online

Questions scheduled for the following day's national qualification exam were accidentally distributed to test-takers a day early and subsequently spread across online communities — yet the Human Resources Development Service of Korea failed to detect the error on its own.

The incident came to light only after a test-taker filed a complaint, and the agency determined that the fairness of the examination had been compromised. It has decided to hold a retake for all 57 people who sat the exam Sunday.

According to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea on Tuesday, the 2026 second-session General Mechanical Engineer practical skills examination — held Saturday and Sunday — was designed to use different question sets on each day: Type A on Saturday and Type B on Sunday.

During exam preparation, however, an error by an examiner and a staff member caused the Type B questions intended for Sunday to be opened and used at the Saturday test site as well. As a result, Sunday's questions were exposed to test-takers a day early and were subsequently shared on exam-related online communities.

The agency did not catch the mistake on its own. The incident surfaced when a Saturday test-taker, after seeing Sunday's questions, contacted the agency saying the questions appeared to be different. In verifying the facts, the agency confirmed that the Type B questions meant for Sunday had been used a day early. Because Sunday's exam was administered after the questions had already been made public, the agency concluded that the exam's fairness and equity among test-takers had been undermined.

The agency has accordingly decided to hold a retake for all 57 people who sat the Sunday exam. Saturday's test-takers were excluded from the retake, as they had taken the originally scheduled Type A questions without incident.

The retake will run from Friday through Aug. 5. Eligible candidates may choose any date within that window and sit the exam at an agency-affiliated institution in their preferred region. The agency said it will announce the retake schedule and locations through Q-Net and notify eligible candidates individually, and will also provide compensation in accordance with relevant guidelines.

The agency has launched an internal special audit to determine the precise cause of the incident and said it will take strict disciplinary action against the staff member and examiner responsible. It also plans to conduct a comprehensive review of question management and exam operating procedures to prevent a recurrence.

"We confirmed the facts immediately after receiving the inquiry from the test-taker, decided to hold a retake, and are in the process of notifying those affected," an agency official said. "We sincerely apologize for undermining trust in the national qualification examination system and for the concern caused to test-takers and all those involved. We will do our utmost to implement the necessary measures as swiftly as possible and restore public confidence in the national qualification examinations."

Meanwhile, this is far from the first time the Human Resources Development Service of Korea has mishandled a national qualification exam. In 2023, answer sheets belonging to 609 candidates in the first-session practical skills examination for engineer and industrial engineer certificates were shredded before grading, a scandal that led then-chairman Eo Su-bong to resign. In June last year, a computer error in the first-round examination for certified labor attorneys resulted in a non-applicant being announced as a successful candidate.