South Korea dialed down the volume on Thursday as more than half a million students took a crucial national university entrance exam, with authorities taki
SEOUL – South Korea dialed down the volume on Thursday as more than half a million students took a crucial national university entrance exam, with authorities taking extraordinary measures to minimize possible distractions.
The college entrance test is the culmination of South Korea’s highly demanding school system.
In an ultra-competitive society, the rite of passage plays a large part in defining students’ adult lives, holding the key to top universities, elevated social status, good jobs, and even marriage prospects.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in posted a good luck message to the students on his Facebook page.
The intense effort they had put in over years of study was coming to fruition, he said. “Believe in it and you will be able to show your full competence.”
According to the education ministry nearly 595,000 students were taking the grueling exam this year, known as suneung and stretching over nine hours.
Junior students crowded schools from early morning ahead of the test, chanting and waving colorful banners with messages urging, “Don’t mess up!”
At Ewha Girls’ Foreign Language High School in central Seoul, Jung Ho-yun said, “Their lives depend on this exam, so it’s very important.
