ConfirmedA court, a regulator or the organization itself has stated the core facts, or the record cites a court or regulator source.
South Korean exam taker stole test papers, used AI to find answers
A South Korean exam taker was convicted of stealing certified English test papers twice and using Google's Gemini AI to obtain answers, which he wrote on his palm before taking the test. The Busan District Court sentenced him to six months in prison suspended for one year, finding that the repeated and audacious cheating damaged public trust in test fairness.
22 March 2026 Β· A Β· Fraud, scams and manipulation
A South Korean exam taker stole certified English test papers twice and used Google's Gemini AI service to obtain answers. On March 22 and April 5, 2026, the test taker photographed the stolen exam papers, input them into Gemini, wrote the AI-generated answers on his palm with a pen, and took the test.
Reported impact
The court found that the cheating damaged public trust in the fairness of the test and caused disappointment among other test-takers. The court stated the repeated and audacious method of cheating was serious given that equal opportunity is core to test integrity.
Governance controls
The Busan District Court, Western Branch, sentenced the test taker to six months in prison suspended for one year and ordered 80 hours of community service for theft and obstruction of business. The court noted the crime was repeated across two attempts using the same method.