Shh …! South Korea undergoes crucial examination

South Korea reduced the volume on Thursday, as hundreds of thousands of students passed a crucial entrance examination at a national university, with the authorities taking extraordinary steps to minimize possible distractions.

The university admission test is the culmination of South Korea's highly demanding school system. In an ultra-competitive society, it plays an important role in defining the adult life of students, the key to the best universities, high social status, good jobs and even marriage prospects.

This year, nearly 595,000 students have passed the grueling exam, which spans nine hours, according to the Ministry of Education.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was in Singapore for the regional summits, sent a message of luck to students on his Facebook page.

The intense efforts they have made over many years of study are taking shape, he said. "Believe it and you will be able to show all your skill."

Extraordinary measures are being taken at the national level to eliminate anything that might upset those tested.

Public offices, large corporations and the stock market opened an hour later than usual to facilitate circulation and to ensure that students arrive at the time for the exam , which started at 8:40 (23:40 GMT) around the country.

Students stranded in traffic could force police cars and motorcycles to rush to the examination centers.

All takeoffs and landings at South Korean airports are suspended for 25 minutes to coincide with a listening test in English. All airplanes must maintain an altitude above 10,000 feet (10,000 meters).

The Ministry of Transport said that 134 flights were to be reprogrammed because of the review.

The electronic is strictly forbidden and students can only leave the premises of the school until the end of the test to reduce the risk of cheating.

But they will be allowed to wear masks during the exam this year, announced the Ministry of Education, while levels of fine dust pollution persisted in the "bad" state on the peninsula.

The results of the intimidating review will be released December 5.