A long silence fell in South Korea on Thursday as more than half a million students took a major university entrance exam as authorities took drastic measures to ensure it went smoothly. .
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Known locally as ‘Suneung’, this nine-hour marathon exam is crucial for anyone who wants to secure a place at one of the nation’s renowned universities, but is also synonymous with high social status, rewarding careers and even increases the prospects of marriage.
The tremendous pressure on young students from South Korea’s ultra-competitive education system has often been criticized as causing – among the highest in the world – rates of depression and teenage suicide.
“I just want to tell my daughter that I am proud of her for having worked so hard until today, and that this exam, whatever the result, does not define her as a person”, Koh Min-soon, the mother of a candidate, told AFP, wishing to reduce her daughter’s stress for this 2021 edition.
The COVID-19 pandemic has added additional pressure on students, parents and authorities.
During the two weeks leading up to the exam, students were forced to take the online courses. According to the Department of Education, more than 509,000 students are taking the exam this year.
Wearing a mask was mandatory for all students, who also had to perform a Covid test before taking their place behind their desks, at 8:40 am sharp.
Even those who tested positive for the virus – around 70 people – had to take the exam, in designated spaces and separate from the rest of the students, mostly in medical centers.
In order to limit any disruption, the authorities took drastic measures: administrations, banks and the stock exchange opened an hour later than usual to facilitate movement and allow students to arrive on time for the exam.
All takeoffs and landings at airports across the country were suspended for 35 minutes during an English listening test. And all airplanes in flight had to maintain an altitude above 3,000 meters.
According to the Department of Transportation, 79 flights were rescheduled due to the review.
Police cars and motorcycles were available in school zones for students stuck in traffic or late.
“It is a very important day for the candidates, and the last year has been very hard for them,” a police officer told AFP before the exam.
“We’re just trying to do what we can to show our support.”