By Matt Underwood South Korea bans flights as 500,000 take crucial university admission test. This is an incredible display of national commitment, isn’t it? The lengths to which South Korea goes to ensure the sanctity of their university entrance exam are truly remarkable. They even halt all flights for half an hour during the listening comprehension section of the English test! It’s all about creating an environment where every student has the best possible chance, free from any external distractions.
The sheer scale of this exam is astounding. Over half a million students, the highest number in seven years, putting their futures on the line. It’s especially interesting that many of these candidates were born in 2007, a year considered auspicious, leading to a surge in births. The entire nation seems to hold its breath during this time, creating a palpable sense of pressure for the students. The focus on this single exam is a defining characteristic of the South Korean education system.
The financial aspect is almost unbelievable. Reports show that many students spend years in test-prep cram schools, and that some fees can amount to nearly $700 per month just to prepare for the test. When you start running the numbers, the total annual expenditure is staggering. It is estimated that Korean families spend nearly $3 billion a year preparing for this exam. That’s enough money to buy multiple Boeing 747s, tens of thousands of cars, millions of smartphones, or fully fund the tuition of a massive number of university students. The cost of this education is incredible, especially when compared to the cost of actual university tuition. It’s a testament to the cultural importance placed on academic success.
This immense pressure on a one-time event to define someone’s life is a tough concept to consider. It makes you wonder what happens to the majority of people who don’t get into these top universities. The intensity of it all is hard to fathom. Imagine a system where your high school life is largely dedicated to preparing for one single exam. It’s a completely different educational experience to many parts of the world.
From personal accounts, those who attended universities like those in the “SKY” (Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University) can see the intense preparation their peers underwent to get there. It’s a complete immersion, where the pressure is immense and the expectations are sky-high. The stories of students studying even during breaks in law school highlight this relentless pursuit of excellence.
The system might be extreme. The emphasis is on perfection. Some stories suggest that anything less than top grades can be considered failure. It seems that this intense focus on success can create a difficult environment. The constant pressure of achieving, the expectation of excellence in all areas – academics, appearance, work – is quite overwhelming.
This exam’s focus on English comprehension makes the flight ban even more interesting. It’s a fact that, even with all this preparation, many Koreans still struggle to hold a conversation in English. One person mentioned that the priority of education for some Asian cultures is status, not authenticity, and can be why the system becomes so toxic. There’s a lot of focus on education, but perhaps not the kind that naturally helps them.
Comparisons to other systems are inevitable. In the US, for example, the entrance process might include many factors, and the same one-time test is not the deciding factor. Maybe the test score is 50%, and the other half is a CV. The results show that the American system is much more diverse. However, that isn’t the case in South Korea. The emphasis on test scores seems to be more prominent, and the pressure is unrelenting.
The flight ban itself raises some technical questions. Some have noted that aircraft noise is no longer as disruptive as it once was, a consequence of modern engineering and noise abatement procedures at airports. However, the symbolic aspect of the flight ban is clear: a complete national commitment to the success of its students. This exam holds so much weight in their future. It’s a system that, while effective for some, can be a source of immense stress and pressure.