Smart glasses caught at Yonsei, UOS essay exams; UOS bans cheater for 3 years

Smart glasses equipped with AI capabilities have been caught in back-to-back cheating incidents at university essay entrance exams in Seoul.

According to education officials Tuesday, a test-taker wearing smart glasses was caught at Yonsei University's Sinchon campus in Seodaemun-gu during the natural sciences and integrated track mathematics essay exam on Saturday.

The student, identified only as A, wore ordinary glasses during the proctor's pre-exam check but switched to a camera-equipped pair of smart glasses once the test began, according to the investigation.

A proctor noticed during the exam that A's glasses looked different from a standard pair and alerted the exam administration center, which confiscated them.

After the exam ended, the student admitted to the school that the smart glasses had been used.

A similar incident had occurred Oct. 3, when a test-taker was caught wearing smart glasses at the University of Seoul's natural sciences essay exam.

That student had also worn ordinary glasses during the admission ticket check but was caught by a proctor switching to smart glasses during the exam.

The University of Seoul immediately removed the student from the exam room and barred the individual from sitting any of its exams for three years.

The back-to-back incidents have put university exam administrators on high alert over the use of smart glasses to cheat.

Smart glasses are electronic devices built into eyeglass frames that incorporate a small camera and battery. Some models can connect to generative AI services such as ChatGPT or Gemini, displaying solutions or answers to questions captured by the camera directly on the lenses.

Concerns have been raised that the devices could be particularly exploited in exams where answers are numerical — such as mathematics and science — by allowing students to verify AI-generated answers.

The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation has already listed smart glasses as prohibited items in its detailed implementation plan for the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test. Authorities also plan to expand the distribution of radio-frequency detectors capable of identifying smart glasses and ultra-small earphones at national exam venues.