Top scorer in South Korea's tax accountant exam admits cheating with a miniature camera and generative AI, raising exam-site security concerns as the college entrance exam approaches

The top scorer in South Korea's 63rd tax accountant exam in April submitted a written statement through a lawyer admitting to cheating using a miniature camera nearly invisible to the naked eye and generative AI, heightening concerns about exam-site security ahead of the 2027 academic year college entrance exam (CSAT) held on Thursday; experts had previously suspected the tool used was smart glasses. South Korea's Ministry of Education announced at the end of last month a ban on bringing all electronic devices, including AI glasses, smartphones and smartwatches, into exam rooms, with violators having their scores invalidated, being barred from taking the exam the following year and possibly facing criminal charges for obstructing business. But an editorial points out that about 550,000 test-takers will sit the exam simultaneously at 1,312 test sites nationwide, making such miniature devices hard to detect by manual patrols, and that time is tight to deploy electronic screening equipment or block wireless communications before the exam. The article compares China's gaokao, with its systematic anti-cheating arrangements such as security checks, metal detection and signal blocking, and mentions that it reportedly suspends AI image capture and answering functions during the exam, urging South Korea to urgently add anti-cheating measures before the exam begins.