South Korea: During the Korean A-levels, invigilators will have to inspect every candidate’s glasses to detect AI glasses

With one month to go until the CSAT, the Department for Education is requiring a visual inspection of glasses before each exam; simply being in possession of smart glasses will result in the exam being cancelled and a one-year ban.

South Korea's education ministry has decided that all candidates wearing glasses for CSAT, the national university entrance exam scheduled for November, will have their frames inspected before each test. Training videos are to teach invigilators how to recognize AI-equipped glasses and how to spot suspicious behavior. Radio frequency detectors have been discarded: according to Minister Choi Kyo-jin, the variety of exam rooms could distort detections.

The penalties are heavy: the mere fact of carrying AI glasses is considered fraud, leading to the cancellation of the results and a ban on retaking the exam for a year. Cases have already been noted in university exams, in Yonsei, where a student changed his glasses after the test, and at Seoul University, where another was excluded for three years. The National Union of Secondary School Teachers is calling for more staff, clear procedures in the event of refusal to inspect and better consideration of this additional burden.