SATs cancelled in South Korea due to suspect cheating. First time an entire country has been banned from taking the test

The recent cancellation of U.S. college entrance exams in South Korea—the first time SAT tests have been called off nationwide anywhere in the world for suspected cheating—is throwing the spotlight back on the country's hyper-competitive academic environment.

The U.S.-based administrator of the SAT, the most widely used standardized evaluation tool for high-school students applying to American universities, scrapped the May 4 sessions in South Korea three days before the test date after it discovered questions from the tests circulating in test-prep centers in the country.

The cancellation has thrown college-entrance preparations for thousands of students into disarray. Some students now plan to travel to other countries in the region to ensure they are able to take the next test in the summer.

At least 10 staff members of test centers have been barred from leaving the country as part of an investigation by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has launched a separate inquiry.

Over the past year, at least seven lawmakers have been accused of academic plagiarism, along with multiple celebrities and even a star teacher who appeared regularly on national television.Though academic cheating is a world-wide concern, high-profile scandals over unfairly earned or bogus qualifications are commonplace in South Korea. Those seeking top government office are among those who have been caught with plagiarized dissertations or fake degrees. Huh Tae-yeol, the chief presidential secretary, issued a public apology in February—when he was still a nominee for his post—for copying part of his doctorate degree in 1999. He argued that standards at the time weren't as stringent.

The string of scandals prompted national daily newspaper Hankook Ilbo to question this week whether South Koreans are "unusual" because of their willingness to cheat. In an editorial, it blamed the tight link between test results and overall success that harks back to royal court exams of centuries ago.

In modern-day South Korea, the academic environment is ultra-competitive because obtaining qualifications from the best institutions has long been critical to winning the most-desired jobs. Almost two-thirds of South Koreans between 25 and 34 years old have college degrees, the highest ratio in the world, according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.

The need to gain a competitive edge has pushed South Koreans abroad. For several years, South Koreans were the largest foreign student group at U.S. universities, though they are now third behind the Chinese and Indians, according to the OECD.

About 60 registered SAT prep centers operate in Seoul alone, according to the metropolitan education office. But test leaks occur because there is demand for an advantage from students' parents, said Shim Jai-ok, executive director of the Korean-American Educational Commission in Seoul, which administers Fulbright grants and a number of standardized exams, but not the SAT tests.

"Children are given an incredible burden," said Ms. Shim. "Who [in the U.S. institutions] will trust the scores from here?"

Test-prep-center managers say the problem is widespread. Copies of official SAT booklets can be purchased from brokers for about 5 million won ($4,575), some managers say. Some also say they regularly hear from students and parents about brokers initiating contact.

U.S.-based Educational Testing Service is the SAT's developer, vendor and scorer. Thomas Ewing, a spokesman for ETS, declined to comment on the investigation, but in a written statement called the security measures for tests taken in South Korea "among the most stringent of any country in which the SAT is administered," adding that a security review for the country is under way.

The prosecutors' office declined to comment on the investigation.

The next SATs will take place as scheduled, according to ETS, but it didn't rule out another cancellation if similar problems are discovered. Mr. Ewing said there were no planned migrations for the SAT to a computerized format because it would be impossible to accommodate the average 3 million test takers on any given test date.

Many U.S.-bound students plan the calendar year around the six or seven official dates for the SAT, an abbreviation for Scholastic Aptitude Test, and the supplementary SAT subject tests because not all sections are offered every time.

"[The cancellation] threw my plans off," said Park Yun-jie, a Seoul-based high-school sophomore. She and her friends are considering a trip to Hong Kong or Japan for the next scheduled test date on June 1, forgoing her spot in Seoul because of the possibility of another cancellation.

In 2007, about 900 SAT scores were canceled because of suspicion of cheating. On Wednesday, just one week after the SAT cancellation notice in South Korea, 36 people were charged for illegal filming of English proficiency exams with spy cameras or for ordering the service, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.