30-07-2025
Chinese nationals caught using fake IDs to take Korean language test for others
Several Chinese nationals have been caught trying to take the Test of Proficiency in Korean, or TOPIK, on behalf of others using fake foreign resident registration cards.
According to police on Tuesday, a Chinese woman in her 30s was caught while taking the TOPIK exam at Soongsil University in Seoul on July 13. She showed a forged residence card to the test supervisor and was immediately arrested.
Police said her smartphone contained evidence that she had arranged to take the test as a proxy through a broker.
TOPIK is a test that measures the Korean language skills of overseas Koreans and foreign nationals who are not native speakers. It is administered by the National Institute for International Education under the Ministry of Education and is commonly used for university admissions, job applications and visa procedures in Korea.
Similar incidents were reported the same day at Hansung University and Inje University, where other Chinese nationals were caught trying to take the test with fake IDs.
Since all the forged IDs were issued on the same date by the same regional immigration office, police are now investigating whether the cases are linked to an organized proxy test operation.
