Top scorer on South Korean tax exam confesses to cheating with AI
Police are investigating after Han Won-seok confessed to using generative artificial intelligence and a microcamera, reversing months of speculation over his near-perfect scores.
- On Sunday, Nov 15, Han Won-seok, 34, confessed to cheating on South Korea's tax accountant qualification exam using artificial intelligence and a miniature camera, submitting a written confession to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
- Suspicion grew after Han achieved a near-perfect score of 397.5 out of 400 in April's first-stage exam, where he answered 159 of 160 questions correctly. His perfect score in introductory tax law stood out sharply against the 16,856 test takers who averaged far lower marks.
- Han explained he used a miniature camera to photograph exam questions, sending them to an AI tool and checking answers on his smartphone. He also admitted using the same method to cheat on the certified public accountant exam in March.
- South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook vowed a zero-tolerance approach to exam cheating on Nov 13, citing the allegations. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed receipt of the written confession and said it will assign the case quickly.
- Initially, Han rejected cheating allegations, questioning why his high scores drew such scrutiny. With only 722 candidates passing the 2026 tax accountant exam out of 6,606 participants, the scandal underscores exam security concerns in a highly competitive certification process.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Top scorer on South Korean tax exam confesses to cheating with AI
The marks attained by the top scorer on South Korea's national exam for aspiring tax accountants this year seemed too good to be true and on Sunday, sceptics were proven right when he confessed to using generative AI to cheat.
Channel News Asia
Free Malaysia Today NewsSouth Korean police probes top exam scorer after AI cheating confession
SEOUL: South Korean police said on Sunday (Nov 15) they had launched an investigation after the top scorer in a national tax accountant exam confessed to using artificial intelligence to cheat.The test taker, who ranked first in both rounds of the national qualification exam held in April and July, submitted
The top-scoring candidate in South Korea's annual tax accountant license exam has turned himself in to police, confessing to using a miniature camera, smartphone, and artificial intelligence to cheat on both exam rounds.
The police have assigned the case involving artificial intelligence (AI) cheating by the top scorer of the 2026 Certified Tax Accountant (CTA) exam and have launched a full-scale investigation. On the 15th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated, "We received a letter of confession this morning through the lawyer regarding the CTA exam cheating," adding, "Upon receipt, the case was immediately assigned to the Special Investigation Unit, and…
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