"Catch the AI Glasses"...Foreign Job Seekers' Korean Test Plagued by Cheating

South Korea's Korean Language Proficiency Test (TOPIK) for foreign job seekers is grappling with a significant rise in cheating, particularly within the EPS-TOPIK, administered to those seeking employment under the Employment Permit System (EPS).

Data submitted by the Korea Human Resources Development Service to lawmaker Kim Moon-soo revealed that from 2023 to June 2024, a total of 320 instances of cheating were recorded. These included possessing or using prohibited items, with 92 cases in 2023, 165 in 2024, 40 in the previous year, and 23 by June of this year.

The methods employed by some test-takers have become increasingly sophisticated, with cheating devices cleverly concealed within ordinary items. Reports indicate the use of miniature cameras hidden in cigarette packs, buttons, or clothing, and wireless receivers disguised as items like check cards. Small earphones were also among the detected contraband, underscoring the lengths some individuals go to bypass the exam's integrity.