Korea sees first AI glasses exam cheating case: report

South Korean prosecutors indicted a man in his 40s for using AI-powered glasses to cheat on a national qualification exam, the country's first such case. The man was caught during a fire protection facilities engineer certification exam in Gwangju in May. Officials are considering banning AI glasses from exam rooms and strengthening penalties.

South Korean prosecutors have summarily indicted a man in his 40s for using AI-powered glasses to cheat on a national qualification exam, marking the country’s first legal action involving the devices. The Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office indicted the man last month on charges of violating the National Technical Qualification Act, local media outlets reported Monday. He was caught in May while taking a fire protection facilities engineer certification exam in Gwangju. An exam supervisor reportedly became suspicious after noticing light reflected on the lenses of his glasses. During the investigation, the man admitted cheating and said he had developed an AI application linked to the glasses and wanted to see whether the correct answers would be displayed properly. Two other men in their 20s were booked after being caught using the same method at national technical qualification exam sites in Seoul and Mokpo that month. AI glasses were also used in several TOEIC cheating cases, with two people caught in May and another in June. Officials from agencies that administer major national qualification exams held an emergency meeting on July 10 to discuss countermeasures. They considered explicitly adding AI glasses to lists of prohibited items in exam rooms and significantly strengthening sanctions for those caught cheating. minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com