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Korea University launches probe into quiz cheating by exploiting glitch

Published: 20 Nov. 2025, 20:24

Graduates take commemorative photos during a commencement ceremony at Korea University in Seongbuk District, Seoul, on Feb. 25. [YONHAP]

Korea University launched a probe on Thursday after students in an engineering course allegedly exploited a software loophole to retake an online quiz multiple times and check the correct answers, the latest cheating controversy to surface at the school.

The class held an in-person quiz at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday for about 80 students, according to university officials. Several discovered they could submit their answers, view their scores, identify incorrect responses and attempt the quiz again. Some also used generative AI tools, including ChatGPT and Gemini, while retaking the test.

The course instructor said “I found indications that many students took the quiz repeatedly,” and declared the quiz invalid, adding that a retest would be held.

A university official said the "school is reviewing the circumstances and has not yet decided on disciplinary measures."

The case follows an earlier incident in an online elective course on multidisciplinary understanding of an aging society, where students shared midterm exam questions in an open chat room. The university voided that exam and shifted grading to a written report and the final.

In response, the school expanded the final exam from 35 to about 100 questions, added time limits for each item and randomized question order to ensure students received different versions of the test.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]