South Korean police have launched an investigation after the top-ranked candidate in a national tax accountant examination admitted using artificial intelligence to cheat during the tests.
The candidate, who ranked first in both rounds of the qualification exam held in April and July, confessed through his lawyer that he photographed questions with a miniature camera and sent them to AI for answers.
His performance had raised suspicions after he scored 397.5 out of 400 in the first round, answering 159 of 160 questions correctly. He initially denied allegations that he had cheated using smart glasses.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Sunday it had received a written confession and assigned the case to investigators.
Candidate admits using miniature camera and AI
In a video published on his lawyer's YouTube channel, the candidate said he deeply regretted his actions.
"I used a miniature camera to photograph the exam questions and sent them to AI, then checked the answers on my smartphone," he said.
He explained that financial difficulties had influenced his decision, saying he had struggled after leaving his job to start a business and felt pressure not to disappoint his parents.
His lawyer declined to disclose further details, citing concerns that other candidates might imitate the cheating method.
Examination authority apologises and promises action
The Human Resources Development Service of Korea, which administers the examination, said two supervisors had been present during the candidate's test.
Its president, Lee Byung-hoon, apologised for the incident and said the agency would file a criminal complaint against the candidate for obstruction of business.
The presidential office said it was treating the case seriously, particularly with the highly competitive national university entrance examination, known as the Suneung, scheduled for November 19.
Officials decided at a meeting on Sunday to conduct a comprehensive investigation into suspected AI-assisted cheating across national qualification examinations.
Authorities step up efforts against AI-assisted cheating
The case comes amid growing concerns over the use of smart glasses and other technology to gain an unfair advantage in examinations.
The examination authority said an AI-powered inspection system detected a candidate wearing smart glasses during a gas engineer certification test last month.
In October, the government also announced plans to file criminal complaints against students caught using such devices during the national university entrance examination.
