Universities in South Korea are facing a new kind of exam cheating. In October 2026, applicants were caught using AI-powered smart glasses during essay exams for university admissions, and a separate case at Konkuk University involved a hidden camera and a smartwatch. Officials are now debating how to punish the cheating and how to stop it.
What happened
According to The Korea Herald, two applicants were caught wearing smart glasses during essay-based admissions exams, one at Yonsei University and one at the University of Seoul. The glasses have built-in cameras that photograph exam questions, send them to an AI tool, and show the answers on the lens.
Both students wore ordinary glasses during the pre-exam inspection and switched to the smart glasses after the test began.
- Yonsei University: A student was found wearing smart glasses during the maths part of the essay exam and was ordered to leave. The student admitted intending to cheat, and the university invalidated the exam results.
- University of Seoul: A natural sciences applicant was caught during an essay exam on 3 October after a proctor noticed unusually thick glasses frames. The applicant was disqualified and barred from all of the university’s admissions processes for three years.
A second case: hidden camera and smartwatch
A separate case was reported by the Korea JoongAng Daily on 21 October. A Konkuk University student allegedly sent midterm exam questions through a hidden chest camera to a friend, who solved them with AI. The answers were then sent to the student’s smartwatch.
The professor became suspicious when the student scored perfectly. The professor asked the student to solve the same problems under controlled conditions. The student could not write the answers properly and confessed when questioned. Under university rules, the student received a zero on the exam and an F in the course. The department will ban all cameras and watches from the final exam and will inspect eyeglasses.
The JoongAng Daily also reported that three cases of cheating with AI smart glasses have been uncovered this year in essay exams for early college admissions.
Why punishments differ
The Korea Herald reports that penalties vary widely because university admissions exams do not have standardised disciplinary rules, unlike the national Suneung exam. Yonsei said its internal rules do not set out penalties such as admissions restrictions, and it is considering a warning, limits on future exams and legal action.
The Education Ministry says it may discuss with universities whether to standardise penalties. It is also preparing guidelines for Suneung proctors on spotting this type of cheating. On 7 October, Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said the ministry was pursuing measures to invalidate the Suneung results of students caught cheating with smart glasses and to bar them from the following year’s exam. The ministry has also asked regional education offices and universities to ban smart glasses at exam sites and strengthen supervision.
Is banning devices enough?
Experts quoted by the JoongAng Daily say banning specific gadgets will not be enough. Lee Chan-gyu of Chung-Ang University said it is “only a matter of time before new technologies that surpass even advanced detection equipment emerge,” and suggested evaluating the research or learning process itself. Kim Myuhng-joo of the Korea AI Safety Institute called for common guidelines and mandatory AI ethics education at universities. Elsewhere, UK universities are bringing back in-person exams, while Irish universities are struggling to count AI cheating cases at all.
What this means for students and writers
The same pressure is pushing assessments toward work that shows how a student thinks, such as drafts, oral explanations and in-class writing. For students, the safest path is original work that you can explain and defend. Keeping a clear research and drafting trail helps: see our guide on how to write a research paper, learn how to cite your sources with footnotes, and use sentence starters for essays to put your own ideas into words. If you need help planning, structuring or polishing your own writing, our writing services and writing guides can help you do it properly.
Related coverage
- UK Universities Bring Back In-Person Exams as AI Use Surges
- Irish Universities Report Hundreds of AI Cheating Cases
- How to Write a Research Paper: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Sources
- Universities split over how to punish AI glasses cheating, The Korea Herald, 14 October 2026
- Konkuk student caught using hidden camera, AI and smartwatch to cheat, Korea JoongAng Daily, 21 October 2026
