AI Cheating Allegations on Tax Accountant Exam Snowball... Government to Investigate All National Qualification Exams This Year

The government will launch a comprehensive investigation of all national qualification examinations administered this year, following allegations of cheating involving artificial intelligence (AI) devices on the tax accountant examination. It will check whether similar cheating occurred on other national qualification examinations and draw up a comprehensive plan to prevent exam cheating by the end of this year.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea announced the measures on November 15 after holding an emergency meeting on AI-assisted cheating on the 63rd Tax Accountant Examination, chaired by Vice Minister of Employment and Labor Kwon Changjun. The meeting followed an emergency meeting on preventing the spread of AI-assisted cheating, chaired by policy chief Ha Joonkyung at the Blue House that afternoon.

With eight days remaining until the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), smart glasses rest on an exam paper during training for staff assigned to the smart glasses operations headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 11th. Yonhap News

Based on the patterns of suspected cheating identified on this year's tax accountant examination, the government will investigate whether AI was used to cheat on all national qualification examinations administered this year. Rather than limiting the inquiry to a specific examination, it will expand its scope to national qualification examinations as a whole to determine whether similar cheating occurred.

The government will swiftly take follow-up measures against those found to have cheated on the tax accountant examination, including invalidating their examinations, revoking the results of successful candidates and filing complaints. Those confirmed to have cheated will be barred from taking the examination for five years, and the government will actively cooperate with police investigations.

The Human Resources Development Service of Korea will set up online and offline reporting centers to encourage people to report cheating. The government also plans to inspect the distribution of equipment that could be used to cheat, including miniature cameras and AI smart glasses, and establish a system for receiving related reports.

Going forward, the government will step up guidance on bans on bringing smart devices, including smart glasses, into exam venues and using them there, as well as on penalties for violations. It will also add guidance on how to identify devices and respond on site to proctor training. The government will increase the number of dedicated oversight committee members, known as "AI Inspectors," assigned to each exam venue in addition to exam proctors. It will also pursue the introduction of radio-frequency detectors.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea will form a joint task force to review the examination system for national qualification examinations as a whole and draw up a comprehensive plan to prevent cheating by the end of this year.

Vice Minister Kwon described the incident as a serious matter that undermines the fairness of national qualification examinations and ordered the development of follow-up measures. Earlier that day, at the emergency meeting, policy chief Ha also called for fundamental measures to prevent a recurrence of cheating that exploits new technologies such as AI and for past crimes to be pursued to the end.

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