South Korea will be quieter today compared to any other given day. Starting at 08:40 local time, more than half a million students are going to take the exam of their lives.
The Suneung, an abbreviation for College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT, tests South Korean students’ abilities in Korean, English, maths, social studies and sciences, and is far more than a university entrance exam, as could highly influence the flying colours of the takers’ future in many, not to say all, aspects of life – from career perspectives and incomes, through connections and social status, and to private relations. Passing the Suneung test could equally facilitate the successful climbing of the career ladder and the hunt for the proper partner.
Authorities in South Korea take nation-wide measures to support the bright future of the country and every year the Suneung day brings the nation at a standstill – air traffic is halted and military trainings are cancelled, banks, businesses, and even the mighty stock exchange, open later in order to prevent traffic and help the tens of thousands of police stationed in strategic locations to drive on time the running late test-takers. And it is also not uncommon to hear the sirens of emergency cars making their way through the still standing traffic to transport students to the exam sites.
Today, Seoul will be quiet, expecting the new hundreds of thousands successful passers to flow into prestigious universities and join the rest nearly 70% of South Koreans, aged between 25 and 34, who at least have a bachelor’s degree. In the country, where a few decades back not going to college used to be the norm, today, those who do not make it to college are often labelled as ‘failure’ and doomed to a miserable future.
The bright future of South Korea depends on today’s National Exam Day, and while the whole country keeps an ear on EBS Radio’s nationwide broadcasts of the Suneung listening components, let us show support and keep quiet.
