Seoul, November 15 (Yes Punjab News)
The top scorer in this year’s certified tax accountant examination in South Korea admitted on Sunday to cheating in both rounds of the test using a miniature camera, a smartphone and generative artificial intelligence (AI). He also said he had surrendered to the police.
The case is the latest in a series of AI-assisted cheating incidents in South Korea, where candidates have recently been caught using AI glasses during university entrance examinations and tests in middle and high schools.
The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, made the admission on a lawyer’s YouTube channel after his exceptionally high scores, revealed in a recent media interview, triggered suspicions of cheating on online forums, Yonhap News Agency reported.
He also claimed to have used the same method to cheat in a certified public accountant examination.
The candidate reportedly ranked first overall in the certified tax accountant exam. In the first round in April, he missed just one of 160 questions, scoring 397.5 out of 400. In the second round in July, he scored 192 and 190 in the two accounting subjects and 114 and 167 in the two tax law subjects.
“I cheated by taking pictures of the questions with a miniature camera, sending them to AI, and checking the answers on a smartphone,” he said on the YouTube channel. He added that he had submitted a written statement detailing his actions to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
Police confirmed receiving the statement and said they would conduct a swift and thorough investigation in accordance with procedures.
The Ministry of Finance and Economy said it plans to move quickly to suspend the validity of his certificate confirming that he passed the examination. Under the law, candidates found guilty of cheating can have their results invalidated and be barred from taking the examination for five years from the date the penalty is imposed.
The case could also lead to criminal charges, depending on the outcome of the police investigation.
Apologising for his actions, the man said he deeply regretted cheating. He explained that he had struggled financially after leaving his previous job and starting his own business, which failed for various reasons, including high costs linked to the Russia-Ukraine war.
He said anxiety about starting over in his mid-30s and uncertainty over how long he would have to continue studying had influenced his decision.
The government has pledged zero tolerance for cheating involving AI glasses during this week’s nationwide college entrance examination and has strengthened checks to detect high-tech devices at examination centres.
In October, two university applicants were caught using AI glasses to cheat during entrance examinations at two universities in Seoul. Four cases involving AI glasses were also reported at middle and high schools this year, according to Education Ministry data collected between October 27 and November 3.
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