Article · AI translation
IT Home reported on October 29 that South Korea plans to bar candidates who use AI-powered smart glasses to cheat on the national college entrance exam from taking the exam for up to three years. Starting with this year's exam, each test site will assign a staff member specifically to identify smart glasses, and the government is also considering deploying signal detection equipment next year. A series of cases involving cheating with smart glasses at exams in various parts of South Korea prompted the government to increase penalties and tighten supervision at test sites.
IT Home noted that South Korea's Ministry of Education announced the measures on October 29 local time. Their main aims are to increase penalties for cheating while easing the burden on proctors of identifying and determining violations.
The ministry first plans to amend the current Higher Education Act to extend the ban on cheating candidates taking the exam from 1 year to 3 years. Under current rules, a candidate who wears or uses smart glasses has their score invalidated and cannot take the exam the following year. A candidate who refuses to let a proctor inspect their glasses faces the same penalty if a subsequent check confirms a violation. Even bringing smart glasses into a test site without actually using them will invalidate the exam result.
The penalties will also be tightened further. The ministry considers cheating with smart glasses a deliberate, premeditated act of obstructing a national examination and plans to pursue criminal liability by filing complaints or requesting investigations on charges such as obstruction of official duties and obstruction of business. In a case in 2005, a candidate who took part in group cheating by exchanging answers via mobile phones was ultimately sentenced to 8 months in prison, suspended for 2 years. The ministry has also recommended that universities apply the same strict penalties to their own admissions exams starting this year.
Inspection procedures at test sites will also change. Starting with this year's exam, each site will have 1 staff member dedicated to identifying smart glasses. When a proctor spots suspicious glasses, that staff member will make an initial determination; if necessary, emergency command centers at local education offices, the ministry and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation will review it. The staff member will also patrol exam rooms and assist proctors as needed.
Protections for proctors will also be upgraded. This year, all proctors will be covered by liability insurance with broader coverage and a longer claims period. Payouts will cover not only compensation for losses but also lawyers' fees and litigation costs. From the 2028 academic year, the ministry also plans to adjust proctors' pay to a more reasonable level.
The ministry is also advancing technical measures to prevent cheating. A specialist organization is developing signal detection equipment suitable for test sites. The ministry will first evaluate the equipment before deciding whether to deploy it at test sites next year.
A South Korean Ministry of Education official said: “We will continue introducing measures to create a fair and stable exam environment for candidates while reducing proctors' workload.”