South Korea’s top tax exam scorer admits using AI and camera to cheat

Han Won-seok, who came first in South Korea’s certified tax accountant exam, has admitted using a miniature camera, a mobile phone and artificial intelligence to cheat in both rounds, prompting a police investigation and government action to tighten test security.

The 34-year-old scored 397.5 out of 400 in the first round, getting only one of 160 questions wrong. The result drew suspicion and online speculation. Han later confessed in a video posted on the YouTube channel of his lawyer, Lee Don-Ho, and said he had also given details to police.

“I used a microcamera to photograph the test questions and sent them to an AI, then checked my answers on my smartphone,” Han said. He apologised to candidates who had passed fairly, saying other successful candidates were now facing suspicion because of him.

Han had initially denied wrongdoing. He said he changed his mind after thinking about the candidate who came second. He also said he cheated to earn money and find a job that would make his parents proud of him again.

Seoul police said they had received a written confession through Han’s lawyer and assigned the case to investigators. The Ministry of Employment and Labour and the Human Resources Development Service held an emergency meeting after the admission.

The government says anyone found to have used AI to cheat in the tax accountant exam will lose their qualification and be barred from retaking the test for five years. Presidential policy chief Ha Jun-kyung said new measures would be introduced to prevent cheating and that past cases would be pursued.

The case comes days before South Korea’s annual college entrance exam, a high-stakes test that can shape students’ future prospects. Recent reported incidents include two applicants accused of using AI glasses at Seoul universities last month. Education ministry data also records four cases involving AI glasses at middle and high schools in the past 12 months.