The Jeonbuk Regional Joint Education Commission announced in a press release distributed on July 1st that an analysis of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) scores spanning four years from 2022 to 2025 revealed a general decline in academic levels in the Jeonbuk region, with a particularly serious collapse among mid-range students. This was highlighted as a structural crisis threatening the sustainability of education in Jeonbuk, requiring a fundamental response from the entire education sector.

According to the data released by the Jeonbuk Regional Joint Education Commission, the analysis was based on regional CSAT score data publicly released by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation. It was found that the proportion of 1st to 2nd grades in Korean, Math, and English subjects in Jeonbuk has been declining annually, with even the proportion of 3rd to 4th grades, which play a pivotal role in education, falling to the lower ranks nationwide.

The analysis pointed out that the ranking of mid-range scores in the 3rd to 4th grades in Jeonbuk has been on a downward trend for three consecutive years. It was noted that Jeonbuk lacks an educational strategy for mid-range students, emphasizing only top-tier achievements, leading to the collapse of the core college preparatory group.

Jeonbuk's rankings for the proportion of 3rd to 4th grades nationwide were 13th in Korean, 11th in Math, and 14th in English (as of 2025), lower than the proportion of test-takers nationwide (9th place). Particularly in English, the ranking has not moved out of the bottom tier, from 17th in 2022 to 15th in 2024, and 14th in 2025.

The evaluation system of education in Jeonbuk was also criticized, with a low proportion of A-level achievements and a high proportion of E-level achievements. This was interpreted as a result of a curriculum design focused on top-tier education, leading to the loss of diverse groups of learners.

The over-reliance on the 'local talent selection' in Jeonbuk's entrance examination strategy was also highlighted as a cause. The strategy, which focuses on the selection of local talents based on legal requirements, is skewed towards quantitative evaluations rather than diversity and creativity.

In comparison with other regions, the case of Chungbuk, which produced 101 successful candidates (94 through early admissions and 7 through regular admissions) for Seoul National University in the 2025 academic year, despite having lower overall CSAT scores than Jeonbuk, recorded a higher proportion of mid-range 3rd to 4th grades, ranking 6th nationwide.