From hidden notes to AI glasses, cheating takes new forms
Cheating on exams is hardly new in Korea. What has changed is the technology used to get away with it, from altered answer sheets and text messages to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered glasses. As the methods grow more sophisticated, detecting them has become increasingly difficult. Even the civil service examinations of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty were vulnerable to cheaters. In a 1699…
Cheating on examinations has been a persistent issue in South Korea, evolving alongside advancements in technology. From the Joseon Dynasty's civil service exams to modern-day AI-powered glasses, the methods have become increasingly sophisticated, making detection a challenging task. Even in the 1699 scandal, 15 out of 33 successful candidates were found to have compromised the integrity of the exams through irregular means, such as swapping names on the papers.
As technology progressed, mobile phones became the primary tool for coordinating cheating during the 2004 college entrance exam in Gwangju. Students were divided into roles such as high scorers, intermediaries, and recipients, with answers exchanged through text messages. In the years 2002 to 2005, the Ministry of Education reported that 472 students had their scores invalidated for cheating on college entrance exams, with 412 of those cases involving the use of text messages. This prompted stricter regulations on electronic devices and harsher penalties.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.