In a country where a single examination can shape a young person's whole future, a man who topped the national test for aspiring tax accountants has stepped forward to say that his success was never honestly his. Speaking on a video channel with his face half-hidden, he described photographing questions with a hidden camera and consulting artificial intelligence, a confession that confirms what many had quietly suspected and arrives just as the nation prepares its most important test of the year. The matter now rests with the police in Seoul, while the government works to show that fairness ca
Top South Korean Tax Exam Scorer Confesses to Using AI and Hidden Cameras to Cheat
The marks seemed too good to be true, and Han has now confirmed it
Mark
Why does this one confession matter beyond a single cheater?
Mimi
Because the exam was a national credential, and the top score was the one everyone could see. Han's method was simple: photograph the questions, send them to an AI tool, read the answers on a phone.
Luke
Worth noting that the method comes from Han's own account. We have his confession on YouTube and his statement that he gave police a written one. We don't have police confirmation.
Mark
Did the suspicion come first?
Mimi
Yes. His near-perfect marks on hundreds of questions across the April and July exams had prompted months of speculation before he spoke.
Luke
Speculation is the key word. The confession is what turned it into something established, at least as his own admission.
Mark
How does this connect to Thursday's college entrance exam?
Mimi
It raises the pressure on organisers. The Prime Minister, Han Seok-sook, had already acknowledged concern about AI-assisted cheating, and her office promised close oversight to the very end.
Luke
That's a pledge, not a described plan. The reporting doesn't say what specific measures will be used, and the Seoul Jungbu police didn't answer Reuters' call, so what happens to Han is unknown.
Le Pouls
- A near-perfect score across hundreds of questions had quietly raised doubts for months, and now the suspicion has become an open confession.
- A man who once stood at the top of a national ranking has admitted, on camera, to using a microcamera and a smartphone to pull answers from artificial intelligence.
- Police in Seoul have received a written confession, but attempts to reach the station for comment went unanswered, leaving the next steps uncertain.
- With the college entrance exam set for this Thursday, the government has promised close oversight, and every exam hall now faces a tense test of that promise.
In a country where a single examination can shape a young person's whole future, a man who topped the national test for aspiring tax accountants has stepped forward to say that his success was never honestly his. Speaking on a video channel with his face half-hidden, he described photographing questions with a hidden camera and consulting artificial intelligence, a confession that confirms what many had quietly suspected and arrives just as the nation prepares its most important test of the year. The matter now rests with the police in Seoul, while the government works to show that fairness can still be guaranteed.
On Sunday, a man who had topped South Korea's national exam for aspiring tax accountants sat before a camera, wearing a face mask, and said his result had not been earned. Identifying himself only as Han, he spoke on the YouTube channel 'Attorney Lee Don-ho' and admitted that he had cheated with electronic devices and generative AI.
His marks had been questioned for months. Across two exams, one in April and one in July, he had posted near-perfect scores on hundreds of questions, results that many observers found too good to be true. Now he confirmed those doubts himself. He explained that he had photographed the questions with a microcamera, sent the images to an AI tool, and read the answers on his smartphone. He apologised on camera for the fact that his success was not the product of fair effort.
Han also said he had already submitted a written confession to Seoul police. Reuters tried to reach the Seoul Jungbu police station on Sunday, but no one answered, so the state of any investigation remains unclear.
The timing is delicate. South Korea's college entrance exam takes place this Thursday, an event that many students have prepared for much of their lives. Public anxiety over AI-assisted cheating was already on the government's mind, and Prime Minister Han Seok-sook has pledged thorough preparation and close oversight so the test is conducted fairly and steadily. What happens next depends on how police handle the confession, and on whether those promises hold in the exam halls on Thursday.
On Sunday, a man who had topped South Korea's national exam for aspiring tax accountants sat in front of a camera, wearing a face mask, and told viewers that his result had not been earned. Identifying himself only by the surname Han, he spoke on the YouTube channel 'Attorney Lee Don-ho' and said he had cheated using electronic devices and generative AI.
His scores had drawn suspicion for months. Han had posted near-perfect marks on hundreds of questions across two exams, one taken in April and another in July. The results looked too good to be true to many observers, and on Sunday those doubts were confirmed by the man himself.
Han described the method in plain terms. He photographed the exam questions with a microcamera, sent the images to an AI tool, and then read the answers on a smartphone. In his words, passing the exam with the top score was not the result of fair effort, and he apologised on camera.
He also said he had already submitted a written confession to Seoul police. Reuters called the Seoul Jungbu police station on Sunday to ask about the case, but the call went unanswered, so the status of any investigation is not yet clear from the available reporting.
The confession lands at a sensitive moment. South Korea's annual college entrance exam is due this Thursday, a high-pressure event that many students have spent much of their lives preparing for. The tax exam scandal has raised the stakes for the people responsible for running it.
Public concern over AI-assisted cheating ahead of that test was already on the government's agenda. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Han Seok-sook acknowledged those worries. A statement from her office said the government would prepare thoroughly in advance and closely oversee the process until the very end, so that the college entrance exam is conducted fairly and stably.
What remains to be seen is how police handle Han's written confession, and what measures will be in place at exam halls on Thursday, when the pledge of close oversight will meet its first test.
Citations marquantes
I cheated using electronic devices and generative AI. My passing the exam with the top score was not the result of fair effort.— Han, top scorer on the tax accountant exam
The government will prepare thoroughly in advance and closely oversee the process until the very end to ensure the college entrance exam is conducted fairly and stably.— Statement from Prime Minister Han Seok-sook's office
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