Winner of South Korea's accountants' exam admits to cheating with the help of AI

The results achieved by the participant who placed first in South Korea’s national examination for prospective tax accountants seemed too good to be true. On Sunday, skeptics proved to be right: the man admitted that he had used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to cheat, UNN reports, citing Reuters.

The outlet notes that the scandal culminated months of speculation that arose after he received nearly perfect scores on hundreds of questions during two examinations—in April and July. The situation has also significantly increased the pressure on the organizers of the annual national college entrance examination, which will take place in South Korea this Thursday.

"I cheated by using electronic devices and generative AI. My success in the examination—achieving the highest score—was not the result of honest work," said a man with the surname Han, apologizing in a video on the YouTube channel "Attorney Lee Dong-ho."

Han explained that he acted as follows: he photographed the examination questions using a microcamera, sent them to an AI-based system, and then viewed the answers he received on a smartphone.

In the video address, in which he appeared wearing a protective mask, Han added that he had already submitted a written confession to the Seoul police.

No one answered a Reuters phone call to the Seoul Jungbu police station on Sunday.

Addendum

The scandal has shaken a country where standardized test results largely determine a person’s opportunities for social mobility and career path. The incident occurred just four days before the annual national university entrance examination.

"The Presidential Administration is treating this situation very seriously. Since the entrance examination will take place next week, we are actively working on developing countermeasures," a senior official in the presidential administration told reporters on Sunday.

The official said that reports of possible cheating on the accountants’ examination were causing serious concern, and added that the president’s chief of staff for policy would convene an emergency meeting to discuss the issue.

On Friday, Prime Minister Han Seok-suk acknowledged that society was concerned about the possible use of AI to cheat on the national entrance examination. This examination is an extremely high-stakes event, for which many South Korean applicants prepare for a significant part of their lives. The government "will prepare thoroughly in advance and closely monitor the process until the very end to ensure that the college entrance examination proceeds fairly and smoothly," her office said in a statement.

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