South Korean students have filed a lawsuit against the government following their college admission exam’s early conclusion, seeking 20 million won ($15,400; £12,000) in damages each, equivalent to a year’s study costs for a retake.
The premature end impacted the entire exam for these students, affecting subsequent sections, according to their legal representative.
The country’s grueling college entrance test, known as Suneung, spans eight hours and covers various subjects back-to-back.
The stakes are exceptionally high, determining university placements, career paths, and even future relationships.
Measures like airspace closures and stock market delays aim to aid student focus during this annual exam.
This year’s test results were released on December 8. The lawsuit, filed by at least 39 students, alleges that a bell rang prematurely during the Korean language section in Seoul.
Despite immediate protests, supervisors collected papers.
Though authorities later acknowledged the error and returned the lost 90 seconds during lunch, students were only allowed to fill in blank columns, unable to amend existing answers.
Lawyer Kim Woo-suk highlighted the lack of an apology from education authorities. Officials attributed the mishap to a supervisor’s misreading of the time, as reported by public broadcaster KBS.
This isn’t the first legal action stemming from an early bell; a prior case saw students awarded 7 million won due to an early ring in the 2021 Suneung exam.
In another instance in China, a person faced legal consequences for ringing the bell too early during a national college entrance exam.
Source-BBC
