'Smoothen it up with Photoshop~~' ... Dental students at Yonsei University disciplined for manipulating practice photos

SOURCE: '포토샵으로 깨끗하게~' 연세대 치대생들 실습 사진 무더기 조작, 징계 받아

It has been revealed that a large number of students at Yonsei University College of Dentistry were recently disciplined for engaging in academic dishonesty.

It was reported that this case was uncovered through an internal reporting, where more than half of the students in the department were caught submitting manipulated pictures using Photoshop.

According to an SBS report on the 12th, about 60% of the students in the root canal treatment practicum during the 2nd semester of last year manipulated their pictures.

The students submitted X-ray images showing 'clean' root canals after treatment. However, the original images were different. The roots had multiple visible gaps because the filling material had not been applied properly during the procedure. The pictures submitted to the faculty had been edited using Photoshop to remove the gaps, making it appear as if the treatment had been done properly.

A total of 59 fourth-year dental students, who were preparing for the national medical license exam, took part in the practicum. Out of these, 34 were found to have manipulated their results or copied other student's work. These students were treating patients directly under faculty supervision at the university's dental hospital.

After discovering the situation, the faculty reportedly ordered the students to submit their original pictures and write formal statements.

Yonsei University College of Dentistry held a disciplinary committee meeting and issued a two-week probation for the 5 students who copied other student's work, and 20 hours of community service for the 29 students who used Photoshop.

They stated, "We discovered this situation after a student turned themselves in and took action through a disciplinary committee. We will strengthen professional ethics education to prevent this from happening again in the future."

Netizens reacted negatively, saying, "So scary. Who would dare to get treatment from them?" "This is how malpractice begins," "Probation? Community service? This is a crime," "Avoid Yonsei dental school," and "Isn't this obstruction of business?"

Previously, in November last year, Yonsei University faced controversy over mass cheating involving the use of artificial intelligence.

At the time, among 600 students who took the online course 'Natural Language Processing and ChatGPT,' many were reportedly used generative AI during exams. In an anonymous poll posted on the campus' community, 53.7% (194 students out of 361) of respondents who took the course admitted to 'cheating' using ChatGPT or similar tools.

1. [+155][-0] These people are going to end up killing someone.

2. [+129][-0] Do they seriously think community service will solve it all?? This is malpractice. They should at least be expelled.

3. [+124][-0] These people are insane.

4. [+12][-0] It gives me goosebumps to think they might manipulate the monitor in their practices later and say, "The treatment went well."

5. [+12][-0] What’s the point of being smart if your character is trash?

Continue reading 'Smoothen it up with Photoshop~~' ... Dental students at Yonsei University disciplined for manipulating practice photos

Petition regarding the case of 'gang sexual assault by 12 staff members' against a supporting actress surpasses 50,000 signatures

SOURCE: "스태프 12명이 집단 성폭행" 단역배우 사건 청원 5만명 넘었다

A National Assembly public petition demanding a full investigation into an alleged gang sexual assault against a supporting actress that occurred more than 20 years ago has surpassed 50,000 signatures. As a result, the petition has been forwarded to the relevant committee of the National Assembly for review.

The National Assembly Electronic Petition system announced on the 12th, saying, "Petition regarding the request for a hearing and special prosecution for the alleged gang sexual assault against a supporting actress has met the requirements for referral and has been submitted to the Public Administration and Security Committee."

Under the National Assembly's public petition system, petitions that receive at least 50,000 signatures are handed to the relevant committee. The committee then determines whether the matter should be brought to the plenary session or be dismissed.

The petition, filed on December 26 last year, reached the required number of signatures as of 3:27 PM on the 7th. It met the requirements in just less than two weeks.

The petitioner, identified as 'A,' claimed, "The victim, who worked as a supporting actress, was allegedly sexually assaulted by 12 men, including the manager of supporting actors, back in 2004. Despite this, the case was not properly investigated at the time due to the failure of public authority."

The petitioner added, "A further detailed investigation regarding the circumstances that forced the victim to drop her charges is needed. We request a National Assembly hearing and a special prosecutor."

Between August and November 2004, 'B,' a female graduate student worked as a part-time supporting actress. She was allegedly subjected to a gang sexual assault by 12 male staff.

In December of that year, B filed a police report against those men, but they all denied the allegations. During the investigation, police actions were later criticized for causing secondary harm to the victim, such as making her to 'draw the shapes of the perpetrators' genitals.'

The police even forced B to face the men directly during investigation. Under further threats from those men, B eventually dropped her charges in 2006.

B took her own life in 2009. Her younger sister, who had introduced B to the part-time job, also took her own life due to the overwhelming guilt.

Their father, who had been suffering from a chronic illness, died of a cerebral hemorrhage shortly after the shock of losing both daughters. In 2014, the mother filed a civil lawsuit against the 12 men, but the case was dismissed because the 3-year statute of limitations under civil law had expired.

The mother has continued to raise awareness through protests. Although she was sued for defamation, the court found her innocent. Since then, she has been revealing the identities of the perpetrators and their whereabouts through her Youtube channel.

1. [+157][-0] Release the identities of the 12 men now.

2. [+112][-1] The police are perpetrators too.

3. [+103][-0] Let’s start by revealing the identities of those 12 men first.

4. [+13][-0] This case has dragged on for far too long. I hope they reveal the identities soon so the family can find some peace and justice.

5. [+13][-0] Dropping charges due to intimidation is invalid. Order a reinvestigation immediately and release their identities.

Continue reading Petition regarding the case of 'gang sexual assault by 12 staff members' against a supporting actress surpasses 50,000 signatures

Less than 300,000 kids enter elementary school this year ... Total number of elementary, middle, and high school students fall below 5 million

SOURCE: 올해 초등 1학년 30만명도 안된다…초중고 전체는 500만명 붕괴

The number of children entering elementary school this year is expected to drop below 300,000 due to the impact of low birth rates.

According to the '2025 Estimates of Student Numbers for Elementary, Middle, and High Schools (2026-2031)' that was recently released by the Ministry of Education on the 13th, the total number of first-grade elementary students across the country is estimated to be 298,178.

These statistics are predicted based on data from the Korean Educational Development Institute's basic education statistics, the National Data Office's population predictions, and the Ministry of Interior and Safety's resident registration data.

In an estimation from January last year, the Ministry of Education predicted that the number of first-grade elementary students would not fall below 300,000 until 2027. However, after reviewing variables such as resident registration and school enrollment rates, they moved that timeline up by one year.

The number of first-grade elementary students clearly shows the steep decline in the school-age population.

According to the Korean Educational Development Institute's Statistical Yearbook of Education, the number of first-grade elementary students (as of April 1) fell from 703,112 in 2000 to 694,256 in 2001 due to low birth rates and other factors, breaking below 700,000.

After dropping from 534,816 in 2008 and 468,233 in 2009, the numbers hovered in the 400,000 range for a while, then declined sharply in recent years to 401,752 in 2023, 353,713 in 2024, and 324,040 last year.

Comparing the estimates for 2023 and this year, this shows that the population has shrunk by 25.8% (103,574 students) in just three years.

In this projection, the Ministry of Education expects the number of first-grade elementary students to continue declining to 277,674 in 2027; 262,309 in 2028; 247,591 in 2029; 232,268 in 2030; and 220,481 in 2031.

The estimate for 2031 is approximately 32% lower compared to last year.

The total number of elementary, middle, and high school students is estimated to fall from 5,015,310 last year to 4,836,890 this year.

It is expected to continue declining to 4,661,385 in 2027; 4,488,023 in 2028; 4,280,164 in 2029; and 4,056,402 in 2030, before falling below 4 million to 3,811,087 in 2031.

The fast decline in the school-age population is a major challenge for the education sector.

Due to a lack of students, schools are closing one after another, and some universities, especially those outside the Seoul metropolitan area, are struggling to fill their freshman enrollment quotas.

Conflicts are also arising as teacher unions protesting the Ministry of Education's plan to reduce teaching positions, calling it as 'nothing more than a declaration that they are giving up on public education.'

An education official stated, "The decline in the school-age population due to low birth rates is an unavoidable phenomenon. The education sector must work together to minimize the shock and reduce conflicts among stakeholders."

1. [+93][-3] The population decline is an extremely serious problem, but the elderly leaders of this country are too busy protecting their own interests🤙👍

2. [+73][-6] Lower prices a bit. Prices should sometimes go down depending on global conditions, but because of corporate profits and advertising costs, the backs of people are getting broken.

3. [+62][-3] Even animals don't reproduce if the environment isn't suitable.

4. [+12][-1] Cut the number of education universities.

5. [+12][-3] Honestly, people are not having kids because everything is too expensive. It's hard enough just to survive on your own.

Continue reading Less than 300,000 kids enter elementary school this year ... Total number of elementary, middle, and high school students fall below 5 million