Five exam cheats caught in eight weeks are forcing South Korea into a regulatory overhaul
South Koreais preparing to overhaul the rules governing technical qualification exams after five candidates were caught using AI-powered smart glasses to cheat in just over two months.
The five cases, reported between May and June, were disclosed in data submitted to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea by opposition politician Kim So-hee, according to a report by The Korea Herald on Monday.
In two of the cases – in Gwangju and Daegu – the candidates were caught because examiners spotted a light or electronic sound emitting from their glasses. In another incident in Mokpo, a candidate was seen pressing a button on a pair of glasses, causing a blue display to appear on the lens.
In Seoul, a camera lens was found embedded in the frame of glasses worn by a candidate taking an information processing engineer exam, while in Ulsan, a check showed a lens and display on the glasses worn by another candidate.
All five were penalised for cheating, and three of them were referred to prosecutors.
In June, the incident involving the candidate in Gwangju became the country’s first criminal case, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. The man in his forties was charged with violating the National Technical Qualification Act. An examiner noticed light reflecting from the lenses of his glasses during the fire protection facilities engineer certification exam.