Four Cases of Cheating Involving "Smart Glasses" Uncovered in Middle and High School Internal Assessments

Education Ministry conducts nationwide survey of cheating involving smart glasses
Two cases in Seoul, one each in North Jeolla and Jeju

A total of four cases of cheating involving smart glasses equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) features were reported in this year's internal assessments at middle and high schools nationwide.

On November 9, the Ministry of Education said a nationwide survey of middle and high schools, conducted from October 27 to November 3, into cheating involving smart glasses during the 2026 academic year's internal assessments, including performance assessments, found one case at a middle school and three at high schools this year.

By exam period, three cases occurred during first-semester final exams—one at a middle school and two at high schools—and one case occurred during second-semester midterm exams at a high school.

In three of the cases, students were caught after repeatedly touching the frames while wearing smart glasses during the exam. In the remaining case, a student switched from the glasses they had been wearing to smart glasses after the exam began.

Instructors who suspected the students' behavior was unusual confirmed after the exams that the students had been wearing smart glasses. In one of the four cases, the cheating was confirmed after a student reported it.

The schools gave the students scores of zero on the relevant subject exams in accordance with their academic performance management regulations. Three high schools also imposed separate disciplinary measures under their school rules.

The Ministry of Education plans to strengthen the management of student assessments to prevent cheating using new digital devices, including smart glasses, and ensure the fairness of school internal assessments.

Earlier, on June 16, the ministry sent an official notice to provincial and metropolitan offices of education, asking them to manage student assessments carefully to prevent cheating involving smart glasses at schools. In the third week of November, ahead of this year's second-semester final exams, it plans to provide guidance on precautions for preventing cheating involving smart glasses, along with educational materials for students detailing the cases uncovered in the survey.

The Student Assessment Joint Management Committee, which includes the Ministry of Education, provincial and metropolitan offices of education, and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), will also discuss measures to prevent cheating involving smart glasses in internal assessments and ways to support schools.

The Ministry of Education plans to continue working to ensure the fairness and reliability of assessments at schools as the student assessment environment changes with advances in digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).

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