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Education Ministry responds to Topik cheating scandal, vows stronger preventative measures

Published: 16 Apr. 2026, 14:45

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

A test taker writes down answers for the Test of Proficiency in Korean, also known as the Topik, exam. [KIM SANG-SEON]

The Ministry of Education announced on Thursday that it will take strong action against the recent Test of Proficiency in Korean (Topik) cheating scandal, in which a test-taker obtained answers through social media.

During the 105th Topik, which took place on Sunday, an exam administrator caught a student cheating by looking at notes with preobtained answers that the student had purchased through a Chinese social media platform.

The student took advantage of the fact that overseas exams are administered across different time zones but feature similar questions across regions. As a result, the 105th Topik exams held in regions such as the United States and Europe were administered a day earlier than those in Asia, including Korea.

According to the Education Ministry, the student was caught at the site and reported to the police. The ministry stated that it would cooperate with the investigation and try to find any additional individuals involved in the misconduct.

Starting with the July exams, the Education Ministry will eliminate similarities between region-specific tests to prevent similar incidents from happening. It also plans to introduce additional measures to ensure fairness.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]