By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

A group of Seoul National University (SNU) students have been accused of cheating on their final semester exams. The school is also suspected of attempting to underreport the number of students who cheat.

This is not the first time that the nation's most prestigious university has been embroiled in cheating allegations. In June 2008, 17 pre-med students at the university were caught cheating on their exams by using their cell phones. The school only issued warnings to the students.

According to the College of Pharmacy at the university, its students' council said that seven students admitted to cheating. The cheating was brought to light after a student posted an article on the SNU Intranet that some pharmacy college students cheated in exams.

In their reply to the article, some cheaters responded, ``So what?'' Many other students posted messages claiming the students involved should be subject to punishment.

The cheaters allegedly wrote answers on their palms, desks and tiny pieces of paper for reference. The council plans to ask the school's disciplinary committee to examine the case.

``We will look into the case and those who were involved will get zero scores,'' said Seo Young-geo, dean of the college.

Another foreign senior student said that ``I believe everybody will cheat during exams whenever they have the chance. Many students here cheat during the test and it is natural. It is not news to us, you know,'' he said.

kswho@koreatimes.co.kr