The top scorer in South Korea’s certified tax accountancy examination has admitted to cheating, revealing the use of a miniature camera, mobile phone, and artificial intelligence tools.
Han Won-seok, 34, confessed in a video posted on his lawyer Lee Don-ho’s YouTube channel, stating he had also reported the matter to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and provided details on how the cheating was carried out.
The 34-year-old achieved a score of 397.5 out of 400 in the first round, missing only one of 160 questions, a result that initially raised suspicions and prompted online speculation.
Standardised national examinations hold significant weight in shaping career paths for South Koreans, making attempts to artificially inflate results a matter of considerable public and institutional importance.
In the video released Sunday, Han stated: “I cheated in both the first and second rounds of the tax accountancy exam by using electronic devices and generative AI.”
Han explained: “I used a microcamera to photograph the test questions and sent them to an AI, then checked my answers on my smartphone to commit the cheating.”
Initially, Han denied the cheating accusations, but reportedly reversed his stance after reflecting on the feelings of the candidate who finished second in the examination.
He subsequently apologised to fellow candidates who had passed the examinations fairly.
“It seems that because of me, other successful candidates are being suspected,” Han suggested.
Following Han’s admission, the Ministry of Employment and Labour and the Human Resources Development Service convened an emergency meeting.
South Korean President’s policy chief Ha Jun-kyung announced that new measures would be introduced to prevent cheating, warning that past offenses would be “tracked down and apprehended to the very end.”
The government stated that individuals found using AI to cheat in the tax accountancy examination will have their qualifications revoked and be banned from retaking the test for five years.
The scandal erupts just days before the nation’s annual college entrance examination, a pivotal hurdle for students.