The chief organiser of the nation’s notoriously gruelling university entrance exams has quit after complaints that an English test he designed was too difficult.
South Korea’s college entry exam – known locally as the “Suneung” – is essential for admission to top universities and widely regarded as a gateway to social mobility, economic security and even a good marriage.
But this year, just over 3% of those who took the exam scored top marks in the English test – the lowest since absolute grading was introduced for the subject in 2018.
One question singled out for criticism asked students to assess the political philosophers Immanuel Kant and Thomas Hobbes and analyse their views on the rule of law, while another probed how the idea of existence might apply to video game avatars.
That has sparked significant backlash in a country where the exam is taken so seriously that flights are grounded nationwide for 35 minutes during the English listening test to eliminate any potential noise.
In response, Oh Seung-keol, the chief of Korea’s Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, stepped down.
He felt “a heavy sense of responsibility for the English section of the test, which did not align with the principles of absolute evaluation,” the institution said in a statement.
He also apologised for “causing concern to test-takers and their parents, and for causing confusion in the college entrance exam process”.
The agency has also issued a separate apology, saying it “takes seriously the criticism that the test failed to meet the appropriate level of difficulty and the goal of reducing students’ academic burden”. — AFP
