{"slug": "korean-proficiency-test-cheaters-to-face-up-to-5-year-ban", "title": "Korean proficiency test cheaters to face up to 5-year ban", "summary": "South Korea's education ministry said Tuesday that cheaters on the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) will face bans of up to five years under new rules expected to take effect next year, with test-takers caught carrying artificial intelligence devices banned for two years and those using such devices to influence results facing a five-year ban. The strengthened rules raise the existing four-year ban for those taking the test on behalf of others to five years and also cover leaking test questions and using forged identification, with the ministry pushing a revision to the enforcement decree of the Higher Education Act in the second half of this year. TOPIK cheating cases reached 606 last year, a jump from recent years.", "body_md": "Those caught cheating on the Korean language proficiency test for non-native speakers will be banned from taking the test for up to five years under new rules expected to take effect next year, the education ministry said Tuesday. Under the strengthened rules for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), those who take tests on behalf of others, leak test questions or use forged identification will be prohibited from taking the test for five years. Existing rules banned those taking tests on behalf of others for four years. The new rules will also ban test-takers found carrying artificial intelligence (AI) devices from taking the test for two years. Those caught using such devices during the test to influence results for themselves or others will face a five-year ban. \"By swiftly pushing for a revision to the enforcement decree of the Higher Education Act in the second half of this year, they (the new rules) are expected to take effect starting next year,\" an education ministry official said. The number of TOPIK test cheaters has jumped in recent years, reaching 606 last year, compared w", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/korean-proficiency-test-cheaters-to-face-up-to-5-year-ban", "canonical_source": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/law-crime/20260929/korean-proficiency-test-cheaters-to-face-up-to-5-year-ban?utm_source=rss", "published_at": "2026-09-29 06:47:02+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-29 06:49:10.638888+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy"], "entities": ["Test of Proficiency in Korean", "TOPIK", "South Korea education ministry", "Higher Education Act"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/korean-proficiency-test-cheaters-to-face-up-to-5-year-ban", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/korean-proficiency-test-cheaters-to-face-up-to-5-year-ban.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/korean-proficiency-test-cheaters-to-face-up-to-5-year-ban.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/korean-proficiency-test-cheaters-to-face-up-to-5-year-ban.jsonld"}}