South Korea probes top exam scorer who admits using AI to cheat

Detailed summary

The candidate, who achieved near-perfect marks in a national tax accountant qualification test, says he photographed questions with a miniature camera and used AI to generate answers.

South Korean police have launched an investigation after the top-ranked candidate in a national tax accountant examination admitted using artificial intelligence to cheat during the tests.

The candidate, who ranked first in both rounds of the qualification exam held in April and July, confessed through his lawyer that he photographed questions with a miniature camera and sent them to AI for answers.

His performance had raised suspicions after he scored 397.5 out of 400 in the first round, answering 159 of 160 questions correctly. He initially denied allegations that he had cheated using smart glasses.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Sunday it had received a written confession and assigned the case to investigators.

In a video published on his lawyer's YouTube channel, the candidate said he deeply regretted his actions.

"I used a miniature camera to photograph the exam questions and sent them to AI, then checked the answers on my smartphone," he said.

He explained that financial difficulties had influenced his decision, saying he had struggled after leaving his job to start a business and felt pressure not to disappoint his parents.

His lawyer declined to disclose further details, citing concerns that other candidates might imitate the cheating method.

The Human Resources Development Service of Korea, which administers the examination, said two supervisors had been present during the candidate's test.

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