Twin brothers convicted of academic fraud via proxy testing

A pair of 35-year-old twin brothers were convicted after one impersonated the other to take an exam that is part of the official recruitment process for the Financial Supervisory Service. The younger brother who orchestrated the fraud received a prison sentence, while the older brother who took the test as his proxy was given a suspended sentence.

Judge Kang Ji-yeop of Namyangju District Court on Monday sentenced the younger brother to one year in prison on charges of the obstruction of business and fraudulent use of official documents. The court ordered his immediate detention, citing a flight risk. The older brother was sentenced to six months in prison and one year of probation on similar charges.

The younger brother was accused of asking his brother to sit for the first round of the written exam for the FSS on the former's behalf in September 2022. The younger one had applied at both the Bank of Korea and the FSS, and as the exam dates overlapped, he asked his older brother to impersonate him and take the FSS exam.

Once the twins both passed the first round exams, the younger brother continued on with the recruitment process and took the second-round FSS exam and its first interview, successfully passing both. However, after he was given an offer by the BOK, he withdrew from the FSS recruitment process.

The scandal emerged after allegations of cheating appeared on Blind, an anonymous online forum app for verified employees. The BOK launched an internal probe and discovered the fraud, and reported it to the police. The younger brother was dismissed from his position at the bank after being indicted in May.

The court said the defendant “undermined fairness and trust, which are basic and important values in the hiring process.” It noted that his actions deprived other well-prepared candidates of a fair chance at FSS employment, making the impact of the crime severe.

The court, in handing down its verdict, said it acknowledged that both brothers admitted their wrongdoing, and that the older brother had reluctantly agreed to taking the exam as a proxy, only at his brother's request.