There are signs that answers to the state-authorized Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), which measures the Korean skills of foreigners, were leaked in advance, mainly among Chinese test-takers.
According to the National Institute for International Education on the 16th, on the 12th at a domestic TOPIK test site, a Chinese international student was reportedly caught looking at a note summarizing key keywords. The student was found to have purchased a note compiling core keywords via Chinese social media (SNS) and used it in the exam room.
The student was handed over to police and investigated on suspicion of obstructing business, and is set to receive a penalty of invalidation for that session and a two-year restriction on taking the exam. The institute plans to conduct a separate review of cheating depending on the results of the investigation.
Recently, as the status of the Korean language has risen and demand for TOPIK has increased, brokers in China are reportedly operating in an organized manner. The institute said it received reports last year that advertisements were spreading on Chinese SNS such as "We will register on behalf of you for test sites in the capital area" and "We will provide proxy test-taking for students who need scores," and it asked the Korean National Police Agency to investigate. However, because a broker's ID alone cannot identify the subject and if they are not staying in Korea the investigation itself is difficult, it was effectively halted.
Chinese examinees account for more than 12% of all TOPIK test-takers, a significant share. Of the 566,665 people who applied for TOPIK last year, about 70,000 took the test in China alone.