Han denied AI glasses allegations in interview Wednesday; confessed Sunday in lawyer's YouTube video
Timing of filming, surrender letter submission and choice of channel remain unclear
Han Won-seok, who topped the national tax accountant licensing exam, confessed to cheating on a lawyer's YouTube channel just four days after denying allegations that he had used AI-equipped smart glasses during the test.
Han spoke with the Korea Economic Daily by phone Wednesday night for about 34 minutes, flatly denying allegations that he had used smart glasses to cheat. Asked about his high score, he said he had used the process of elimination on questions he did not know, adding that "knowing how to guess is also a skill." The interview was published Saturday. The Korea Economic Daily said the coverage began after a tip came in while the outlet was preparing a feature on smart glasses.
Han appeared Sunday on the YouTube channel of attorney Lee Don-ho, managing partner of law firm Nova, alongside his legal counsel. "I cheated on the tax accountant exam," Han said, disclosing that he had used a miniature camera to photograph questions during the first and second rounds of the tax accountant exam and the first round of the certified public accountant exam, then transmitted the images to an AI system and checked the answers on a smartphone. Han said he would not reveal the specific method in order to prevent copycat offenses. He said he had denied cheating during the Korea Economic Daily interview because he had wanted to conceal what he had done.
Han submitted a letter of voluntary surrender to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and said he would also hand over remaining evidence and equipment to investigators. Attorney Lee said he would cooperate fully with the investigation alongside Han. Han cited financial hardship, anxiety over the length of his exam preparation and a desire for his parents' approval as his motivations. However, it remains unclear when the video was filmed, whether the surrender letter was submitted before the video was made public, and why Han chose that particular channel to make his confession.
Meanwhile, the Human Resources Development Service of Korea said it is verifying the facts. The agency said it found nothing unusual during the administration of the exam or the first-round grading, and four exam supervisors from both rounds said they did not observe any suspicious behavior. There are no closed-circuit television cameras in the exam rooms, and Han's second-round essay answers are currently under expert review. If cheating is confirmed, his passing score could be revoked.
andy@heraldcorp.com
