Tax Accountant Candidate Given Suspended Sentence for Using AI to Cheat by Stealing Test Papers and Writing Answers on Palm

Court: "Bold Method... Causes Demoralization Among Competitors"

A test-taker who stole the official English test papers, used artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the answers, and then wrote them on their palm to cheat during the exam has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.

According to Yonhap News on September 23, Judge Kim Sei of the Busan District Court’s Western Branch, Criminal Division 6, sentenced the defendant, referred to as A, to six months in prison with a one-year suspension, and also ordered 80 hours of community service on charges of theft and obstruction of business.

In March and April of this year, A was indicted for stealing preliminary English test papers from a middle school in Sasang District, Busan. A used AI to check the answers, wrote them down, and used the notes to take the test. Preparing for the certified tax accountant exam, A reportedly planned the crime after failing to score at least 65 points on the official English exam.

On the day of the test, at around 1:38 p.m., A entered the classroom during a moment when the test headquarters manager left to confirm the appointment of proctors. A opened an envelope containing the preliminary test papers and took them.

After the first theft, A went to a nearby gas station, photographed the test papers with a mobile phone, and input the images into Google’s AI service “Gemini.” A then wrote the AI-generated answers on their palm and sat for the test at 3 p.m. on the same day. About two weeks later, A stole preliminary test papers again from the same test site, went to a nearby convenience store, and used the same method to note the answers and take the exam.

Judge Kim stated, “The crime was repeated twice and the method was bold. It severely undermines trust in the fairness of exams, which are supposed to be based on equal opportunity, and may cause genuine competitors to feel demoralized. Therefore, the nature of the crime is extremely serious.”

A deposited 100,000 won each in criminal compensation for the victims whose test papers were stolen, but the victims refused to accept the compensation. Accordingly, this was not considered a mitigating factor during sentencing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.