An applicant caught wearing smart glasses during a Yonsei University essay exam is increasingly likely to face criminal charges.

Yonsei University plans to fail the applicant and restrict their eligibility to apply for the early admissions process next year.

According to data submitted by Yonsei University to the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung, the school is reviewing plans to file a criminal complaint against the applicant on charges of obstruction of business by fraudulent means.

The incident occurred during the early admissions essay exam for the natural sciences and integrated tracks for the 2027 academic year, which was held on the 10th.

The university believes that the applicant was wearing regular glasses during the pre-exam inspection, but switched to smart glasses during the test.

A proctor noticed the applicant touching their glasses and looking around nervously.

The proctor ordered the applicant to take off the glasses, and upon inspection, they turned out to be smart glasses.

After the exam concluded, Yonsei University received a written statement from the applicant admitting to cheating and secured the smart glasses as evidence.

Smart glasses look similar to regular glasses, but they are equipped with features such as using a miniature camera to photograph exam questions and displaying AI-generated answers on the lenses.

However, it has not yet been confirmed whether this applicant actually used AI to write the answers.

In accordance with the early admissions guidelines, Yonsei University plans to fail the applicant in this essay screening and suspend their eligibility for the 2028 early admissions process as well.

A university official stated, "We will respond strictly by applying a zero-tolerance principle to actions that undermine the fairness and reliability of admissions."

Smart glasses are also items prohibited from being brought into test sites for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) scheduled for November 19.

During the CSAT, if smart glasses are possessed without being submitted before the start of the first period, the exam will be voided.

If they are worn during the exam, eligibility to take the CSAT will be suspended for one year, including the following year.

However, university-specific essay exams have different sanction methods from the CSAT.

Even if exam eligibility is restricted due to cheating in university-administered exams, those sanctions apply only to the respective university.

The Korean Council for University Education explained that due to personal information privacy issues, it is difficult to share information regarding cheating incidents among universities, leaving them with no choice but to handle such cases according to each university's internal guidelines.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News