Teenager appeals conviction for hacking teachers’ exam answers

By Kuksung Nam, The Readable
Apr. 18, 2024 9:05PM GMT+9 Updated Apr. 19, 2024 8:32PM GMT+9

A 19-year-old youth found guilty of hacking into teachers’ laptops to steal examination papers and answers to test questions has appealed a court ruling that sentenced him to a hefty 12 to 18 months in prison.

On Wednesday, the Gwangju District Court conducted its first appeal hearing, addressing the case of a teenager sentenced to 12 to 18 months of incarceration by a lower court ruling handed down one year ago. Under the country’s Juvenile Act, which permits both long-term and short-term incarceration for offenders under 19 years of age, law enforcement has the authority to conclude the sentence after the defendant has served the minimum required time, provided appropriate adjustments are made.

Local news outlets reported that the defendant’s attorney argued the appeal on the grounds that the initial court’s ruling was excessively harsh. The teenager was found guilty of several charges, including trespassing on school property and violating the country’s information and communications law. Meanwhile, the youth’s 19-year-old accomplice, a former classmate, chose not to appeal the lower court’s decision, which resulted in him receiving a 10-month suspended prison sentence.

According to court documents, the defendant collaborated with a former classmate to hack into their teachers’ laptop computers to improve their test scores. Aware that the teachers used their personal computers to create exams, they conspired to and successfully installed malicious software onto these devices, including an auto screen capturing tool, to illicitly obtain the information they desired.

The court detailed how the defendant, then a high school sophomore, repeatedly broke into the teacher’s office during March to April and June to July of 2022. With assistance from his accomplice, he compromised 15 teachers’ laptop computers during both the mid-term and final term periods. The youths extracted examination papers and answers for 7 out of 10 subjects during the mid-terms and 9 out of 10 during the finals. They achieved this by transferring the data to a USB device or downloading it directly to the defendant’s computer using remote access software surreptitiously installed on the teachers’ computers.

In the court document, the judge noted that the court’s decision to sentence the defendant to imprisonment took into account the absence of any prior criminal record and that the defendant, under 19 at the time when the crime was committed, is subject to the Juvenile Act. The court also recognized that the defendant admitted his guilt and expressed remorse for the harm that he had caused. However, the judge emphasized that the severity of the crime warranted strict consequences to safeguard public trust in the education system, which has the potential to be significantly damaged by such violations.

• Related articles: South Korea teens under investigation for hacking exam answers

nam@thereadable.co

The cover image of this article was designed by Areum Hwang. This article was copyedited by Arthur Gregory Willers.

Kuksung Nam is a journalist for The Readable. She has extensively traversed the globe to cover the latest stories on the cyber threat landscape and has been producing in-depth stories on security and privacy by engaging with industry giants, foreign government officials and experts. Before joining The Readable, Kuksung reported on politics for one of South Korea’s top-five local newspapers, The Kyeongin Ilbo. Her journalistic skills and reportage earned her the coveted Journalists Association of Korea award in 2021 for her essay detailing exclusive stories about the misconduct of a former government official. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in French from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, a testament to her linguistic capabilities.