Several applicants have been caught wearing artificial intelligence-enabled smart glasses during essay exams for South Korean universities' early admissions. The Ministry of Education has asked universities to tighten exam management and plans to advise them that supervision guidelines prepared for the national college entrance exam can also be applied to university-administered tests.
Yonsei University caught an applicant wearing smart glasses during a mathematics essay exam for science and integrated science tracks held on the 10th at its Sinchon campus in Seoul's Seodaemun district, according to education officials on the 13th.
The applicant wore ordinary glasses when a proctor checked before the exam began, then switched to smart glasses equipped with a camera and battery after test papers were distributed, officials said. A proctor who noticed the switch during the exam confiscated the glasses on the spot. The applicant also admitted to using the smart glasses after the exam ended.
Yonsei is investigating the circumstances and reviewing follow-up measures. "We did not specifically list smart glasses in the guidance for applicants, but we consider them electronic and communication devices, which are banned from the exam room," a Yonsei official said.
A similar case occurred during a natural sciences essay exam at the University of Seoul on the 3rd. That applicant also wore ordinary glasses during the pre-exam check before using smart glasses during the test. The university immediately removed the applicant from the exam room and barred the person from taking its exams for the next three years.
The Education Ministry has sent an official notice asking universities to manage exams rigorously. It also plans to send universities the proctor guidance, instructional materials and videos on AI smart glasses for the national exam, to be finalized this week, for reference in administering their own tests.
The ministry is considering restricting eligibility for the national college entrance exam through the following year for anyone caught cheating with AI glasses. Universities, however, set penalty levels under their own rules for their own exams, so punishments could be harsher than for the national test. "If someone is barred from the national exam, entering university becomes difficult in itself, but a ban on a university-administered exam applies only to that university," a ministry official said. "Depending on the university, the penalty period could be set longer than for the national exam."