AI Cheating Using Even Miniature Cameras... CSAT Proctors on High Alert

[Financial News] With the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) just four days away, the discovery of cheating involving miniature cameras, following the use of smart glasses, is adding to the burden on teachers supervising the exam. Although the government has decided to assign dedicated staff to test sites nationwide, concerns are mounting that devices so small they are difficult to spot will be hard to detect. Teachers’ groups say the government needs to devise measures rather than leaving the detection of cheating to individual proctors.
According to education officials and others on the 15th, Han, the top scorer in this year’s 63rd tax accountant exam, recently admitted to cheating in both the first- and second-stage exams using a miniature camera, a smartphone and generative artificial intelligence (AI).
Han said, “I cheated by photographing the exam questions with a miniature camera, sending them to AI, and checking the answers on my smartphone.”
In the first-stage exam, Han sat in the middle of the second row from the front; in the second-stage exam, Han sat in the middle of the front row. Although seated close to the proctors, Han was not caught cheating. The four exam supervisors on duty at the time reportedly said they had not noticed anything unusual that might have raised suspicions of cheating.
This is why concerns are growing that cheating involving miniature cameras or earphones could also occur during the CSAT.
The Ministry of Education is banning mobile phones, smart glasses, smartwatches, Bluetooth-enabled earphones and other electronic devices from CSAT test sites on the 19th. Test takers who bring electronic devices must hand them to a proctor before the first session begins.
A Ministry of Education official explained, “At CSAT test sites, we turn off mobile phones and then collect them,” adding, “The procedures and rules differ considerably from those for the tax accountant exam.”
However, if test takers secretly bring in miniature cameras or earphones inserted inside the ear, proctors may have difficulty spotting them with the naked eye. Missing an instance of cheating could raise questions about accountability for lax supervision, but complaints could also arise if proctors closely monitor suspicious test takers or check their belongings.
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU), in a statement issued that day, stressed, “AI technology and smart devices are advancing rapidly, but the government’s anti-cheating measures focus on only some devices, such as smart glasses,” adding, “The anti-cheating system must not be shored up by relying on the vigilance and responsibility of individual proctors.”
The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations (KFTA) also called for more proctoring staff and improved equipment. KFTA spokesperson Jang Seung-hyeok said, “With the CSAT so near, it is difficult to introduce additional security measures immediately,” but added, “Starting next year, we need a response system that does not rely solely on visual screening, as well as additional staff.”
The Ministry of Education plans to assign one dedicated staff member to each of the country’s 1,312 CSAT test sites to check, among other things, whether test takers are wearing smart glasses. However, concerns have been raised that more staff are needed because each dedicated staff member must monitor several exam rooms.
The Ministry of Education is considering supplying test sites with radio-frequency detectors starting next year, but this year’s CSAT will have to rely on visual checks by proctoring staff.
Earlier, on the 5th, President Lee Jae-myung instructed, “Develop comprehensive measures to prevent cheating using smart devices and similar equipment in every kind of exam administered by the state, public institutions, and schools at every level.”

[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter