"When I first started the job, they said, "This area is live with electricity, so you must not enter or approach," but the person didn't understand at all and almost went in. It was really dangerous then."
Raihan, 28, a foreign worker from Bangladesh who entered under the employment permit system and works at a manufacturing plant in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, said this. Zahid, 35, who studies Korean with Raihan on weekends, said, "Looking around, there are more safety accidents than you might think, such as people being unable to communicate, failing to do their jobs properly, and even having their hands severed."
As criticism grows that oversight of the Korean language proficiency test taken locally before foreign workers enter Korea under the employment permit system (EPS-TOPIK, Employment Permit System–Test of Proficiency in Korean) is lax, the number of cheating cases uncovered has been steadily increasing.
According to data the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea) submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 16th, the number of detected cheating cases, which was 208 in 2018, fell during the COVID period, then rose to 214 in 2022, 222 in 2023, and 273 last year, continuing to increase. Because this figure includes only detected cases, actual cheating is expected to occur more frequently. By type, many involved possessing or using prohibited items or taking the test by proxy.
After controversy over cheating on the Korean test continued, including the arrest in 2021 of illegal brokers who took proxy tests, the Justice Ministry and the National Intelligence Service urged local authorities to prevent a recurrence and moved to draw up measures. The Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea) also introduced a UBT (ubiquitous-based test, tablet-based testing) system with facial recognition for EPS-TOPIK in some countries, including Nepal, in 2021.
However, in the industry, there is talk that facial recognition alone cannot fully block cheating, including proxy testing. A government official working at an embassy in Southeast Asia said, "In Southeast Asia, test site conditions are often poorer than in Korea. Even if you verify faces, a proxy test-taker can enter during other steps, and in some countries, there is a possibility that proctors are bribed."
In fact, proxy-test brokers contacted by ChosunBiz said they bribed local proctors and therefore were not caught even after conducting proxy tests for years. According to a local source, when a test taker enters the test site, local proctors verify identification and Korean staff from EPS Centers under HRD Korea check for possession of prohibited items.
Foreign workers who took the Korean test and work in Korea are aware of cheating, including proxy testing. A, 32, a Cambodian worker at a manufacturing plant in Gyeonggi Province, said, "There really was someone around me who took a proxy test." Employer B, 42, also said, "Some places don't verify (identity) thoroughly, and I heard that if you pay, they will arrange (proxy tests)."
The Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea) said, "Compared with the sharp increase in total test takers, the cheating rate is not high. It seems many people attempt to cheat not knowing that facial recognition has been introduced. We are expanding the introduction of the UBT system, and locals do not serve as proctors."
It added, "We have designated three specific countries as 'countries under strengthened special management for cheating' and are managing them. In these countries, one more Commissioner enters the room whose sole role is to catch cheating. We will continue to step up guidance."
The Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea) regularly reports Korean test cheating data to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. A Labor Ministry official said, "Through thorough checks at each stage—application, Korean test, skills test, registration on the job seeker list, and issuance of a certificate for visa issuance—we are blocking the entry of those who cheated on the Korean test."