The cellular phones used to cheat in the National Scholastic Aptitude Test last Thursday. Students bought forty of this model, considering that the model was convenient for sending and receiving messages without having to open the lid of the phone. Gwangju police confiscated 72 of the cellular phones. Exam Cheating Scam Suggests Corporate Level of Sophistication

Gwangju’s Dongbu Police Station, which is investigating the case, said, "We have been informed that there were about 10 more accomplices in the case in addition to the original 90, and we are in the process of confirming concrete identities," adding, "The total number of confirmed accomplices is about 100." The ten additional people who were allegedly implicated include university students, second grade high school students, and test candidates. There are at least two or more university students, apart from the three students who 'lent' their identification card for purchasing cell phones, who “coached” the students in their cheating strategies from mock exams to the final test, police believe.

However, a parent of a student implicated in the case said, "I heard there were 120 students involved, both inside the classroom and out," so the scale of the case could grow.

Meanwhile, it has been learned that a circle of friends who graduated from the same middle school in Gwangju led the cheating. The police received testimony from one school parent that said, “23 graduates from a particular middle school in Dong-gu, Gwangju were involved, and there were seven high schools involved in total.” Police are confirming the testimony.

Police sought arrest warrants for six students from four high schools accused of stage-managing the cheating scheme. Forty “helpers” (second grade high school students) received the answers from forty high-scoring students taking the test through cell phones, organized them, and delivered them to another fifty students taking the test. The police are also investigating into whether any professional brokers were implicated, or whether similar cases of cheating have taken place in the past.

The Education Ministry said they would come up with ways to completely block cell phone cheating in preparation for next year’s test, saying, "We are reviewing a number of options including legalizing pat-down searches of students, installing electronic detectors, or expanding the current test forms from two to ten or more… We are negotiating with the Ministry of Information and Communication on whether a temporary suspension of text message services on the day of the test is possible."

(Kwon Kyung-ahn, gakwon@chosun.com )