Rush hour was rescheduled, aircraft landings were delayed and even the stock market opened late as more than half a million South Korean children sat a crucial examination yesterday.
Parents could be seen praying outside schools where their kids were taking the College Scholastic Ability Test, a decisive factor in determining future careers.
In Incheon, younger students and graduates lined up outside a high school, cheering on test applicants and handing them cups of coffee and tea before their ordeal.
Military training exercises nationwide were suspended and military aircraft grounded to avoid noise during audio foreign language tests, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Seven inbound flights to the country’s main airport in Incheon were told to stay at an altitude of 3,050m as students took the first audio test that lasted 13 minutes.
The stock market, government agencies and many firms opened one hour late to ease morning traffic jams that could cause students to be late.
Education authorities said about 590,000 students sat the day-long exam at nearly 1,000 centers. To prevent cheating, they were banned from carrying electronic gadgets such as mobile phones.
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