Korean proficiency test cheaters to face up to 5-year ban
Students attend a Korean language proficiency test preparation class in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, May 26, 2024. Korea Times photo by Park Si-mon
Those caught cheating on the Korean language proficiency test for non-native speakers will be banned from taking the test for up to five years under new rules expected to take effect next year, the education ministry said Tuesday.
Under the strengthened rules for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), those who take tests on behalf of others, leak test questions or use forged identification will be prohibited from taking the test for five years.
Existing rules banned those taking tests on behalf of others for four years.
The new rules will also ban test-takers found carrying artificial intelligence (AI) devices from taking the test for two years. Those caught using such devices during the test to influence results for themselves or others will face a five-year ban.
"By swiftly pushing for a revision to the enforcement decree of the Higher Education Act in the second half of this year, they (the new rules) are expected to take effect starting next year," an education ministry official said.
The number of TOPIK test cheaters has jumped in recent years, reaching 606 last year, compared with 331 in 2021.
Proctors have recently detected cheating cases involving advanced equipment, including AI glasses.
First introduced in 1997, TOPIK is administered in over 80 countries.
In the first nine months of this year, 564,606 people have taken or registered to take the test, up about 10 percent from the same period last year.