101 Chinese students caught cheating on Korean language test to gain university entry, scholarships

Police have caught 101 Chinese students who fraudulently obtained scores on the Test of Proficiency in Korean, known as TOPIK, to gain admission to major Seoul universities or secure scholarships. The test is required for university admission and visa applications and renewals.

The students used proxy test-takers to sit the exam in their place, or relied on broker networks that relayed correct answers in real time using sophisticated equipment.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Metropolitan Investigation Unit said Tuesday it had booked 113 people — including students who commissioned the fraud, brokers and proxy test-takers — on charges of obstructing the execution of public duties through deception. A 28-year-old domestic broker identified only as A was detained on Jan. 29.

Police are also tracking two couriers who supplied the cheating equipment, including miniature earpieces and transmitters, as well as the Chinese ringleader of the operation.

The Chinese students who commissioned the fraud contacted the ringleader after seeing advertisements on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu promising "guaranteed high TOPIK scores." Each student paid between 10,000 and 35,000 yuan (about 2 million to 8 million won, or $5,400) to arrange either a proxy test-taker or real-time answer delivery.

The ringleader combined personal details obtained from the domestic broker with a photo of the proxy test-taker to produce forged identity documents, then selected proxies who resembled the paying student in appearance.

The scheme operated in two ways. In the first, a Korean-fluent proxy test-taker used a forged ID to sit the exam in the student's place, receiving about 800,000 won per sitting. In the second, the student entered the exam hall and wrote down answers relayed in real time through concealed devices.

Students who used the second method brought a separate phone to hand over to invigilators while smuggling a second smartphone hidden on their body into the exam room.

Once the exam began, they connected to the Chinese video-conferencing app Tencent Meeting on the hidden smartphone and transcribed answers read aloud in real time by brokers waiting outside.

The equipment consisted of a Bluetooth transmitter attached below the neck and an ultra-small wireless earpiece inserted into the ear. Audio received on the smartphone was routed through the Bluetooth transmitter to the earpiece, and the test-taker wrote down the answers as heard.

The detained broker, A, was a graduate of a computer-related program at an engineering college in Seoul.

He used his technical knowledge to build a macro program that automated the entire registration process — handling logins, reserving exam seats and processing bulk payments for test fees. Police estimated his criminal proceeds at around 200 million won and have secured a provisional seizure order on approximately 150 million won of that amount.

Including individuals not yet formally booked, more than 300 people who took the TOPIK through fraudulent means are now under investigation. Many of the students who commissioned the fraud are enrolled at major Seoul universities, and some have been confirmed to have used fraudulently obtained TOPIK scores to secure jobs at domestic companies.

Police said the current identity verification method — in which exam invigilators visually compare a candidate's face against their ID — is insufficient to prevent cheating. They have forwarded recommendations to relevant authorities to introduce biometric verification systems such as facial recognition, or to deploy metal detectors at exam venues.

"This case has confirmed that organized, internationally coordinated TOPIK fraud is taking place," a police official said. "We will strengthen monitoring and enforcement efforts against related crimes."