South Korean police said Sunday they had launched an investigation after the top scorer in a national tax accountant exam admitted to using artificial intelligence to cheat. The candidate, who ranked first in both rounds of the qualification exam held in April and July, confessed through his lawyer that he used AI to obtain answers during the tests. His first-round score of 397.5 out of 400, with only one wrong answer out of 160 questions, had sparked accusations that he cheated using smart glasses, which he initially denied.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it had received a written confession through the test taker's lawyer and assigned the case to investigators. In a video posted on his lawyer's YouTube channel, the candidate, identifying himself by the surname Han, said he "deeply regretted" what he had done. He described photographing the exam questions with a miniature camera, sending them to AI, and checking the answers on his smartphone. He said he had struggled financially after leaving his job to start a business, adding, "I wanted to make money, and I hated seeing myself disappointing my parents after quitting a good job." His lawyer said further details would not be disclosed out of concern that other cheaters could copy the method.S1S2

The exam is administered by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRDK), which said two supervisors were present when the candidate sat the test. Authorities have recently stepped up efforts against cheating with smart glasses: the HRDK said an "AI inspector" caught a test taker wearing them during a gas engineer certification exam last month, and in October the government announced plans to file criminal complaints against students caught using such devices in the national university entrance exam.S1

The case has raised the stakes for the annual college entrance test, known as the Suneung, which is due to take place on Nov. 19. Prime Minister Han Seok-sook acknowledged public concerns over AI-assisted cheating ahead of the exam, and her office said the government would prepare thoroughly and oversee the process closely to ensure it is conducted fairly and stably. Chief of staff Lim Kwang-hyun told reporters the presidential office was treating the issue seriously, and a meeting on countermeasures was to be held that afternoon, chaired by the presidential chief of staff for policy.S1S2