The production team of Channel A's entertainment program 'Teachers2' stated that they will watch closely until the investigation results related to English teacher Jo Jeong-sik, who is under suspicion of illegal question transaction, come out. Jo Jeong-sik, who is participating in 'Teachers', is accused of having paid a current teacher several tens of millions of won to purchase questions for mock exam creation and has been sent to the prosecution.
On the 13th, Kim Seung-hoon, the chief producer (CP) of 'Teachers2', said during an interview held at Channel A's office in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, "I found out about the controversy earlier this year," and added, "It is not an investigation into an individual, and I was told that he is included among about 100 witnesses. I recently learned that the case has moved from the police to the prosecution, and as the program's person in charge, I have been checking. The investigation takes time, and since it is not an investigation into an individual, it was difficult to take preemptive measures."
He noted, "It's not that I'm ignoring public opinion," and added, "Since we are dealing with students, we are watching carefully. There is a uniqueness in being a pre-produced program, but it's not that we are trying to pretend we don't know."
He also mentioned that there are currently no plans for separate editing. He stated, "It's not that we think, 'Since the results haven't come out, we'll just continue.' We are keeping an eye on public opinion. There are no thoughts about editing yet," and added, "It is difficult to make a judgment in a situation where an investigation is ongoing. Also, since there is not just one teacher, we are being cautious."
Previously, the investigative media 'Sherlock' reported that Jo Jeong-sik purchased mock exam questions for academies from a current high school teacher, Mr. A, for 58 million won, and was sent to the prosecution on charges of violating the Anti-Graft Act and obstructing business.
The side of Jo Jeong-sik firmly denied the allegations, stating, "The reports related to Jo Jeong-sik contain parts that are not true," and added, "We are confident that it is clear he is 'not guilty' of all charges. Jo Jeong-sik has never directly paid 58 million won to the teacher in question."
Jo Jeong-sik also included the same text as the 23rd question of the English section of the university entrance exam administered in November 2022, excluding one sentence, in a private mock exam provided to students before the exam. Following the controversy, the Ministry of Education requested an investigation, and the Board of Audit and Inspection also began an audit. The investigation revealed that Jo Jeong-sik obtained the questions, including the text in question, from a current teacher and incorporated them into his private mock exam. It is reported that the text was obtained through an acquaintance of the teacher who created the question.