South Korea plans three-year exam bans and prosecution for smart-glasses cheating

South Korea’s Ministry of Education plans to seek criminal prosecution and impose a three-year College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) ban on students caught using AI-powered glasses to cheat.

The ministry is also planning a staffing measure for this year’s exam: one inspector at each of 1,312 examination sites to check for smart glasses and other prohibited devices, according to The Korea Herald, while CNA and The Korea Times specifically describe the inspectors’ task as checking for AI glasses.

The proposed exclusion would extend the current one-year ban to three years, the ministry said. The Korea Herald describes an extension under consideration, while CNA and The Korea Times report that the ministry plans to seek the three-year ban. The measure concerns people caught cheating; it is not a report of a court conviction or a completed change to the rules.

The ministry said offenders could be referred to police for possible prosecution. CNA reported that possible charges include obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means and business interference. The coverage describes prosecution as a step the ministry intends to pursue or seek, rather than reporting that any particular student has been charged or prosecuted.

The ministry said it would apply the strict penalty policy to university-specific examinations as well as the national CSAT, starting this year. The Korea Herald says the ministry will urge universities to adopt comparable penalties for their admissions tests; CNA reports that the policy will be applied to university-specific exams.

These accounts describe the same intended expansion beyond the national exam, with the Korea Herald emphasizing the ministry’s appeal to universities. The enforcement plan follows South Korea’s rules announced in July listing smart glasses as prohibited items for the 2027 academic year’s Suneung, the Korea Herald reported.

Separately, CNA said South Korean media had reported five cases involving the devices between May and June. The sources give that count as a media-reported figure; they do not identify the incidents or say that the five reports resulted in convictions.

The ministry is also considering radio-signal detectors, which could be distributed to test sites starting next year if the ministry finds them feasible, according to The Korea Herald. That proposal is conditional, unlike the planned inspector assignments for this year.

The Korea Times additionally reports a rapid-response network for suspected incidents, a measure not detailed in the other accounts. The ministry said it would protect teachers who diligently supervise exams from being held responsible or disadvantaged when cheating involves smart glasses or other prohibited devices, according to The Korea Herald.

Together, the planned inspectors, possible referrals to police, longer exam exclusions and proposed detection equipment set out multiple enforcement steps, while the detector plan remains subject to a feasibility assessment.