US EditionSouth Korea bans flights as 500,000 take crucial university admission test
Over 550,000 students took the exam amid a 35-minute nationwide flight ban to reduce noise during the English listening test, with 140 flights rescheduled, officials said.
- On Nov 13, 2025, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport banned all takeoffs and landings from 1:05 p.m. to 1:40 p.m. during the CSAT's English listening section as over 550,000 students took the test.
- The large turnout reflected a 2007 birth surge that filled exam halls, with the College Scholastic Ability Test seen as essential; `This exam has been a goal for nearly 20 years and also a new beginning`, Yeseon Kim said.
- The Transport Ministry imposed altitude and emergency-only rules as about 140 flights were rescheduled, aircraft in flight stayed above 3 kilometres, and military aircraft including U.S. Forces Korea were grounded.
- Police officers were deployed nationwide to help transport students and deliver lunch boxes, South Korean service members may report after 10 a.m., and parents of students are given the day off, the ministry said.
- Later this month, the 2026 college admission cycle will require universities to consider students' school violence records, marking a policy shift from prior recommendations.
31 Articles
31 Articles
South Korea Halts Flights During High-Stakes Exam
In South Korea, the entire country paused on Thursday as more than a half-million students took the high-stakes university entrance exam. Flights at all airports were prohibited from taking off or landing between 1:05pm and 1:40pm to ensure silence during the English listening portion of the grueling nine-hour...
South Korea bans flights as 500,000 take crucial university admission test
More than half a million people in South Korea sat for the country's gruelling university entrance exam on Thursday as police mobilised to ensure they made it to the test sites on time and all flights were halted for half an hour.
South Korea celebrates university entrance exams this Thursday, and as it is already tradition not to deconcentrate students, several flights will be suspended, the bag opened an hour later and parents come to pray for good results.
Malay Mail
AlKhaleej TodaySouth Korea halts flights for 30 minutes as 554,000 take gruelling university entrance exam
SEOUL, Nov 13 — More than half a million people in South Korea sat for the country’s gruelling university entrance exam today as police mobilised to ensure they made it to the test sites on time and all flights were halted for half an hour.The number sitting the test, essential to secure a place at the country’s top universities, was the highest in seven years. Most of the candidates were born in 2007 when there was a surge in births because it …
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