Govt. to strengthen anticheating measures through radio-frequency detectors

Students sit for the TOPIK exam in 2023. (Herald DB)
Students sit for the TOPIK exam in 2023. (Herald DB)

People caught engaging in fraudulent activities during the Test of Proficiency in Korean could be barred from taking the exam for up to five years, as the Education Ministry seeks to strengthen exam security amid rising concerns about increasingly sophisticated cheating methods.

The ministry said people impersonating candidates, leaking exam papers or using forged identification documents would be subject to the ban.

The government also plans to expand the use of radio-frequency detectors to identify prohibited devices, including artificial intelligence-enabled glasses and miniature earphones.

The new measures were announced Tuesday as part of the Education Ministry and the National Institute for International Education's plan to overhaul its state-run Korean-language proficiency test by 2029 and to strengthen exam oversight.

As part of its exam overhaul, the government will develop a new evaluation framework by June 2027, conduct pilot tests in 2028 and introduce the revamped exam in 2029.

An AI-based system would help generate and grade questions, with experts reviewing its output to catch errors and safeguard fairness.

The government also plans to gradually introduce a home-based version from 2029. It would begin with lower-level tests the results of which are not directly used to determine university admission or residency eligibility.

The ministry and the National Institute for International Education announced the plan as demand for taking the TOPIK continues to grow. The exam is used for university admissions, visa applications and employment in Korea and overseas.

TOPIK applications rose from 421,812 in 2023 to 566,665 in 2025, according to ministry data. By September this year, applications had reached 564,606, up 10.2 percent from the same period last year.


seungku99@heraldcorp.com