In South Korea, the entire country paused on Thursday as more than a half-million students took the high-stakes university entrance exam. Flights at all airports were prohibited from taking off or landing between 1:05pm and 1:40pm to ensure silence during the English listening portion of the grueling nine-hour test, which is seen as a gateway to success in South Korea's fiercely competitive society, reports Reuters. Flights circled near airports during the 35 minutes, forbidden to descend below 10,000 feet.
Stores were closed and financial markets and offices opened an hour late to make sure students didn't get stuck in traffic. In Seoul, subway service was increased by 29 runs in the morning, the Korea Herald reports. The College Scholastic Ability Test, with around 200 questions across a variety of subjects, determines not only whether someone will go to university, but their future job prospects and income, the BBC reports. Parents waited nervously outside test centers Thursday. For many families, the exam marks the culmination of nearly two decades of preparation and sacrifice. "This exam has been a goal for nearly 20 years and also a new beginning," said one mother as her daughter sat for the test.
Most students begin at 8:40am and finish around 5:40pm. Blind students are given longer to complete the test and often finish as late as 10pm, with no dinner break during back-to-back exams, reports the BBC. This year saw the highest number of test-takers in seven years, a spike attributed to a mini-baby boom in 2007, considered a lucky year to have children. The birth surge paused a decades-long population decline, though South Korea remains one of the world's fastest-aging countries, with a birthrate inching up to just 0.75 in 2024, per Reuters.
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