South Korea Grounds all Planes so Students can Focus on Exam

Source:leglobaliste.com

In the highly-competitive country, doing well in the gruelling eight-hour exam is the key to a successful life, such as securing a place at an elite university and getting a well-paying job. 

Transport authorities ban all airport landings and take-offs for a 30-minute period in the early afternoon to coincide with the main language listening test. They are often under vast pressure to do well on exam day, when government offices and companies start work an hour late, police use their cars and motorcycles to transport students running late, and parents flock to churches and Buddhist temples to pray.

The country's financial markets have also been closed and candidates running late have been promised police escorts to help them reach test sites on time. Some 606,000 high school seniors and graduates in South Korea took the state-administered annual college entrance exam Thursday, as the government implemented various traffic control and anti-noise measures near nationwide testing sites.

Before the start of the exam, parents, relatives, and friends wished students good luck with hugs, banners emblazoned with encouraging messages, and the traditional gift of sticky rice cake.

Young people in the country have one of the highest rates of depression worldwide. With so much at stake, thousands of parents flocked to temples and churches to pray, with monks and pastors holding special sessions for students.

"My little boy is taking the exam for the third time",said Kim Yong-woo, a 59-year-old mother, who joined other parents at cathedral to pray for their children. "I arrived here at around 11 p.m. yesterday to get a good spot for cheering", said Yoo Shi-won, the president of student council at Seoul's Moonil High School. "I won't get nervous and I will work hard to solve problems in exams as I've been preparing", said LeeSe-la, 19, steeling herself for the day-long test. 

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