South Korea Probes Top Exam Scorer After AI Cheating Confession

Police in South Korea have opened an investigation into a candidate who ranked first in a national tax accountant examination after admitting to using artificial intelligence (AI) to obtain answers during the test. 

The candidate, who came first in both stages of the qualification examination held in April and July, confessed through his lawyer that he used AI technology to cheat.

He scored 397.5 out of 400 in the first stage, getting only one of 160 questions wrong. His near-perfect result triggered suspicions that he had used smart glasses to access answers, an allegation he initially denied.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed on Sunday that it had received a written confession from the candidate through his lawyer and assigned the case to investigators.

“We received a written confession through the test taker’s lawyer this morning regarding cheating on the tax accountant exam,” the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. 

In a video shared on his lawyer’s YouTube channel, the candidate admitted using a miniature camera to capture examination questions and send the images to an AI tool, before viewing the answers on his smartphone.

He expressed regret over his actions, explaining that financial difficulties had influenced his decision to cheat after leaving his job to establish a business.

He said he had been desperate to earn money and did not want to disappoint his parents after giving up a stable job.

“I used a miniature camera to photograph the exam questions and sent them to AI, then checked the answers on my smartphone,” he said.

“I wanted to make money, and I hated seeing myself disappointing my parents after quitting a good job,” he added. 

His lawyer declined to provide further details, citing concerns that revealing the method could encourage others to copy it.

The examination is conducted by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRDK), which said two supervisors were present during the candidate’s test.

The admission has increased concerns about the use of AI-enabled devices to cheat in professional and national examinations.

The HRDK disclosed on Sunday that its AI monitoring system had detected another candidate wearing smart glasses during a gas engineer certification examination last month.

In October, the government also announced plans to pursue criminal complaints against students caught using similar devices to cheat in the country’s national university entrance examination.

With South Korea’s annual college entrance test, known as the Suneung, scheduled for November 19, the presidential office said it was taking the issue seriously.

Chief of Staff Lim Kwang-hyun told reporters that the office was working on measures to address the growing concerns.

He added that a meeting led by the presidential chief of staff for policy was scheduled for Sunday afternoon to discuss possible responses.