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SCMP’s Asia desk

South Korea is 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.

In May, the Human Resources Department expanded its list of prohibited electronic and communications devices, allowing proctors to remove candidates caught using them and invalidate their scores.
Smart glasses are not explicitly named in the current list of items forbidden in exam halls – which includes electronic or communications devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras and camera-equipped pens.
However, given the pace of technology evolution, the Labour Ministry is planning to use broader language so that new devices can be restricted without the authorities having to constantly change the rules every time to keep up with the trend.
“It is difficult to revise the enforcement rules every time a new device emerges, so we are considering making the regulations somewhat more flexible so that we can respond more quickly to technological changes,” a Labour Ministry official said.
The public notice process will start in September, and the ministry hopes to complete the revision within the year.
Smart glasses are also causing problems in other major exams, including two during the English for international communication tests in May and three during the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) exams last year.


TOPIK administrator, the National Institute for International Education, installed radio-frequency and metal detectors at all domestic test centres in April to catch cheaters.
The Education Ministry is also considering measures to prevent technology-assisted cheating. In June, provincial departments such as the Gyeonggi-do Office of Education and Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education sent their schools circulars showing the most popular devices used in cheating and tips on how to spot AI glasses, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
A viral clip posted by an internet technology YouTuber in June showed an edge a smart glass user could have over others. In the video, the YouTuber uses a pair of AI glasses to solve all 30 questions in a practice maths test for the college entrance exams, or suneung, in just 18 minutes – scoring 96 out of 100.


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Five exam cheats caught in eight weeks are forcing South Korea into a regulatory overhaul


Five exam cheats caught in eight weeks are forcing South Korea into a regulatory overhaul.


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AI smart glasses force South Korea to rewrite its exam rules

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Five exam cheats caught in eight weeks are forcing South Korea into a regulatory overhaul

Five exam cheats caught in eight weeks are forcing South Korea into a regulatory overhaul