Comprehensive anti-cheating measures ordered for all exams

President also calls for small-business support, heating cost review

President Lee Jae Myung salutes the national flag at a luncheon held at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday to encourage athletes competing in the Shanghai WorldSkills Competition. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung salutes the national flag at a luncheon held at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday to encourage athletes competing in the Shanghai WorldSkills Competition. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday ordered authorities to completely block the use of high-tech devices — including smart glasses — for cheating on the 2027 college entrance exam, known as the suneung, which is now two weeks away.

Lee presided over the 51st senior secretary meeting at Cheong Wa Dae that afternoon, offering words of encouragement to test-takers. "The 2027 college entrance exam is just two weeks away," he said. "I hope every student who has worked so hard for so long gets the result they want. I also want to send my applause and support to the young people who, instead of taking the suneung, are building expertise and strength in their own fields."

Lee then made ensuring fairness the top priority. "The government must spare no effort in managing exam venues so that all test-takers can demonstrate their abilities in a safe and fair environment," he said. "There have been reports of cheating using advanced devices such as smart glasses — we must make every special effort to block that."

He also called for concrete response systems and measures to protect exam supervisors. "We must strengthen training for supervisors, thoroughly overhaul on-site response systems, and cut off any possibility of cheating at the source," Lee said. "We must also put in place robust protections so that supervisors in the field are not intimidated by unjust complaints and can carry out their legitimate duties properly."

Lee extended the scope of the directive beyond the suneung to all state-administered exams. "I ask that comprehensive measures be prepared to prevent cheating using smart devices in all types of exams administered by the state, public institutions and schools at every level — this needs to be done quickly," he said. "Under any circumstances, we must firmly uphold fairness in every corner and detail so that the value of sincere effort is never denied."

Marking the 11th Small Business Owners' Day, Lee also laid out a vision for a "national startup era" aimed at restructuring the grassroots economy. "We must create a virtuous cycle in the national economy where export growth leads to a recovery in domestic demand, and where the growth of some industries and large companies spreads to small and medium-sized enterprises and small-business owners," he said. "With AI and robotics rapidly reshaping the employment landscape, and growth no longer translating into jobs, a transition to a startup-driven society is essential. South Korea must become a vast startup incubator where all citizens are agents of growth — that is the national startup era we must move toward."

Lee also gave careful attention to measures for vulnerable populations facing cold weather and heating costs ahead of winter. "This year, the prolonged war in the Middle East has fueled oil price instability, making it likely that vulnerable groups will have a harder time getting through winter than in previous years," he said. "I ask that existing support systems be reviewed afresh so that the heating cost burden on people in difficult circumstances can be meaningfully reduced." He added that "welfare is not something people wait for — it goes to them first," and directed officials to conduct safety inspections of substandard housing facilities such as single-room lodging houses and study-room residences, and to proactively identify households in crisis.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com