On Thursday, November 13th, more than 550,000 South Korean students participated in the university entrance exam, which is considered crucial for their future. To ensure that the test takers could focus on the exam, the government implemented nationwide regulations: all flights were suspended for 35 minutes, and financial markets and banks delayed their opening by an hour.
The South Korean university entrance exam, known locally as “Suneung,” is widely seen as a gateway to top universities, social status, economic security, and even a good marriage. This year, the number of applicants exceeded 550,000, reaching a seven-year high.
The increase in the number of exam-takers this year is mainly attributed to the belief that 2007 was an auspicious year for childbirth, leading to a surge in the birth rate in South Korea.
18-year-old examinee Kim Min-jae told AFP that although he was nervous, he was well-prepared and would do his best. He jokingly said that his parents were “even more nervous” than him.
“This exam is our goal for nearly 20 years, and it is a new beginning,” Yeseon Kim told Reuters, as her daughter was taking the exam in the testing room.
Due to the high stakes involved in the exam, the South Korean government implemented far-reaching national regulations.
To ensure that the students were not disturbed during the English listening comprehension section of the exam, all planes at all airports (including Incheon) were under a 35-minute no-fly rule from 1:05 pm to 1:40 pm.
The ban affected 140 flights (including 75 international flights), with airplanes in the air limited to circling at altitudes below 3,000 meters (about 9,843 feet).
At the same time, to prevent traffic congestion, financial markets, banks, and public offices delayed their opening or working hours by an hour.
The sight of police urgently escorting late students to the exam halls became a unique annual landscape of that day.
Similar to many Chinese customs, the South Korean college entrance exam has various cultural taboos. One of them is avoiding eating seaweed soup for lunch, as it is believed that the slippery seaweed could make the exam takers “slip” (fail the exam).
Also worth mentioning is that in the 2026 university admission cycle, all four-year universities will, for the first time, consider students’ records of campus violence. This change is in response to victims’ calls for justice in recent years, aiming to hold perpetrators accountable and prevent them from evading responsibility.