South Korea targets AI glasses cheats with criminal charges and 3-year CSAT ban

South Korea is done playing nice with AI glasses in exam halls. The Ministry of Education announced Thursday it wants cheaters caught wearing the tech to face criminal prosecution and a three-year ban from the College Scholastic Ability Test — triple the current one-year suspension. The new rules would kick in for November's CSAT and for university-specific exams this year, not later.

The penalties don't stop at the exam door. Offenders could be handed to police on charges including obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means and business interference, according to the ministry. In a statement, it said the strict policy and longer disqualification periods would be applied uniformly across the CSAT and individual university admissions tests.

The push follows a messy year. Five smart-glasses cheating cases were reported between May and June, per South Korean media, and all five candidates were penalised — three referred to prosecutors. In one incident, a candidate was spotted pressing a button on their glasses, lighting up a blue display on the lens. Two more suspected attempts surfaced in October at the University of Seoul and Yonsei University.

Authorities had already added AI smart glasses to the prohibited items list in July. Now they're throwing bodies at the problem: 1,312 designated inspectors will be posted across CSAT centres nationwide, one per site, trained to spot the glasses and help supervisors handle suspects. The ministry is also eyeing radio-frequency detectors to sniff out unauthorised electronics.

A rapid-response system linking regional education offices and the ministry will handle the tricky cases — the ones where it's hard to tell whether a pair of frames is smart or just stylish. With the CSAT weeks away, South Korea is betting that the threat of a police record will do what a one-year timeout couldn't.