Hyun Woo-jin acquitted in CSAT question trading case

A Seoul Central District Court judge has acquitted star math instructor Hyun Woo-jin and several teachers of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. The case involved allegations that Hyun paid hundreds of millions of won to current teachers to obtain mathematics questions for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

The court ruled that the payments constituted a legitimate private transaction for services rendered rather than illegal bribery. The judge noted that the amounts paid were commensurate with the value of the questions and that the defendants also sourced questions from professional agencies. The court emphasized that while the behavior might raise ethical questions, criminal punishment should be a last resort and that “the law is the minimum of morality.”

In a separate regulatory development, the Fair Trade Commission has revised standard terms and conditions for funeral halls to protect consumer rights. The new rules prohibit funeral halls from disposing of floral wreaths without the bereaved family's consent, clarify rules regarding the entry of outside food, and mandate detailed prior explanations of funeral costs to prevent unexpected billing disputes.