“Suneun” in South Korea, or let the whole world wait... (15 photos)

“Suneun” is the final exam in South Korea, during which life in the country seems to freeze. And this is not an exaggeration...





Suneung in South Korea

The thing is that the ultimate dream for any South Korean graduate is to enter SKY. And no, the heavens have nothing to do with it. “SKY” is an acronym that consists of the capital letters of three of the most prestigious and coveted universities in South Korea: Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University.



Suneung in South Korea

Actually, these educational institutions are the “number one goal” for most graduates who dream of a good education and a successful career in the future. And, as you understand, the ticket to the coveted university is the same suneun - a Korean variation of the Unified State Exam, but only much more difficult and more energy-consuming, because suneun lasts about 8 hours!





Suneung in South Korea

The main feature of the Korean final exam is that students take all subjects on the same day (three compulsory ones - Korean, mathematics and English, a choice of natural sciences, special subjects and social studies, as well as an exam on knowledge of a second foreign language) , and it is on this day, as I said above, that life in South Korea freezes... no, you don’t understand, it literally freezes. Employers give official permission to their subordinates to come to work an hour later than usual in order to rid city streets of traffic jams and create the most favorable conditions on the road for schoolchildren rushing to an exam.



Suneung in South Korea

There are police officers on duty everywhere, and if one of the children forgets the necessary documents at home, he can turn to a patrolman for help, and he will accompany the student home and back. On Suneung day, public transport starts running much earlier than usual so that everyone has time to get to the exam site, and shops, banks and even the stock exchange open an hour later - again, so as not to increase the flow of visitors and not interfere with the movement of schoolchildren.



Suneung in South Korea

But that's not all. During the English listening test in South Korea, all air traffic is suspended, and aircraft are not allowed to take off or land for about 30 minutes. This was done to save schoolchildren taking the exam from extraneous noise that could interfere with hearing the task. In what other country in the world do they stop planes for an exam?!



Suneung in South Korea

And all because it is impossible to retake Suneun under any circumstances. So the Koreans do everything possible to ensure that their children are under no circumstances late for the exam and that they hear and complete all the necessary tasks as accurately as possible.



Suneung in South Korea

By the way, Suneun is a nightmare not only for students and their parents, but also for teachers who prepare assignments for him. The preparation of materials for the final exam in South Korea is approached with the utmost responsibility and rigor - perhaps even too much.



Suneung in South Korea

A month before the start of the examination period, task writers and examiners are literally isolated from society: they are locked in a secret room, the location of which is known only to a limited group of people, having previously been provided with everything they need. As you understand, they are released “free” only on day “X”, but they get to the exam site under escort - accompanied by a specially trained person who makes sure that information on the exam is not passed on to third parties.



Suneung in South Korea

Since suneun is an extremely important event in the life of South Korean citizens, a huge number of all kinds of superstitions and signs are associated with it, which Koreans unconditionally believe. For example, before an exam, schoolchildren are not recommended to eat miyeokguk seaweed soup. It is believed that knowledge can slip away... well, like algae, you know?



Miyeokguk soup

And if you really want to have a snack, it is better to give preference to tteok rice cake. Koreans believe that if you eat such a pie before an exam, not only the correct answers will “stick” to the student, but also good luck in general.



Ttoki

In addition, parents of graduates go to churches on the day of the exam, where they devote long hours to prayer for the sake of a high score for their child.



Parents pray in churches

On the one hand, this obsession of Koreans with their own future is admirable. Judge for yourself: they are ready to stop air traffic so that schoolchildren can pass the exam! Of course, their future depends on this exam, but nevertheless...



Suneung in South Korea

But, on the other hand, suneun is one of the reasons that young Koreans voluntarily die: some because they cannot withstand the pressure of society and the general level of stress, others because of unsatisfactory results. Children who fail the exam believe that they have let their family down and have not lived up to expectations, so they see only one way out of the situation...



Suneung in South Korea

And, by the way, the true attitude of Koreans towards school education is best revealed by the following saying: “If you sleep for three hours while in high school, you can enroll in SKY; if four hours - to any other university; if five or more, forget about applying.”



Suneung in South Korea