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Seoul (AFP) – South Korea has dropped the volume on Thursday, while more than half a million students have passed a crucial national entrance exam, 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, the rite of passage plays an important role in defining the adult life of students, constituting the key to the best universities, high social status, good jobs and even marriage prospects. .
South Korean President Moon Jae-in posted 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."
According to the Ministry of Education, nearly 595,000 students have passed this year an exhausting exam called "suneung" that spans nine hours.
Beginning students invaded the schools early in the morning, singing and waving colorful streamers with messages exhorting, "Do not go wrong!"
Jung Ho-yun, of Ewha Girls' Foreign Language High School, in central Seoul, said, "Their life depends on this exam, so it's very important."
Candidates arrived one after the other, looking worried and troubled.
"I can not believe that this is really happening," said Choi Eun-hee. "I really hope that I will not make any mistakes."
Wiping away the tears, the parents kissed their children for a long time before some went to the temples and churches to pray for the success of their sons and daughters.
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 traffic and ensure the students' arrival for the exam, which began at 8:40 am across 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.
Electronic devices are strictly forbidden and students can not leave school premises until the end of the test to reduce the risk of cheating.
But they were allowed to wear masks during the exam this year, said the Ministry of Education, while the level of fine dust pollution persisted at a "bad" on the peninsula.
