South Korean tax exam top scorer admits to AI cheating

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Nov, 09:13 · Archive

A South Korean student has confessed to using generative AI to cheat on a national tax accountancy exam where he scored near-perfect marks.

A South Korean student who achieved near-perfect marks on a national tax accountant exam has admitted to using generative AI to cheat. The candidate, identified by the surname Han, scored 397.5 out of 400 points in the first round, with only one wrong answer out of 160 questions across two exams taken in April and July.

Han confessed on a YouTube channel, stating: 'I cheated using electronic devices and generative AI. My passing the exam with the top score was not the result of fair effort.' He explained that he took photos of exam questions using a microcamera, sent them to an AI tool and checked the answers on a smartphone. His initially denied allegations of using smart glasses were replaced by this broader confession.

Han submitted a written confession to Seoul police, which confirmed it had received the admission and assigned the case to investigators. The scandal comes ahead of South Korea's annual college entrance exam scheduled for this week, raising concerns about examination security and the broader implications of AI cheating in high-stakes educational assessments.

How it is being reported

• AI cheating scandal rattles South Korea as annual college exam loomsFears for national entrance exam next week, as top scorer on tax exam admits sending photos of questions to AI tool The marks attained by the top scorer on South Korea’s national exam for aspiring tax accountants this year seemed too good to be true. On Sunday, sceptics were proven right when he confessed to using generative AI to cheat. The scandal follows months of speculation after he scored near-perfect marks on hundreds of questions over two exams taken in April and July. It has also raised the stakes for organisers of South Korea’s annual college entrance exam this Thursday. Continue…The Guardian · 15 Nov, 08:56
• South Korea probes top exam scorer after AI cheating confessionThe candidate scored 397.5 out of 400 points in the first round, with only one wrong answer out of 160 questions, sparking cheating accusations.The Japan Times · 15 Nov, 06:55

In this story: Han · South Korea · Seoul

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