Prosecution raid Younghoon International Middle School

The prosecution on Tuesday raided the office of Younghoon International Middle School to secure evidence of alleged admission fraud.

According to the investigation, dozens of officers at the Seoul Northern Prosecutors’ Office secured documents, computer files and other material around 3:30 p.m. The evidence is believed to support their suspicion that the school’s vice headmasters as well as teachers fabricated school records used in the initial application screening process in order to admit unqualified candidates.

“The members of the digital forensic team are now working on processing the data,” a prosecution insider said.

The prosecution has already filed complaints against 11 workers at the school for admission fraud suspicion on May 20.

The prestigious private school, believed to charge students nearly 10 million won ($8,900) a year, first came under fire earlier this year when it was revealed that a son of Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong was admitted to a spot saved for students with less favorable backgrounds.

The son of the heir to the nation’s largest conglomerate has reportedly used his parents’ divorce as a “single father family” category which is intended for consideration of special cases. The news caused a stir in the media and resulted in the Education Ministry announcing a plan to tighten the admission process at private schools.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)