Published on
November 15, 2025
South Korea took extraordinary measures on Thursday, grounding 140 flights and adjusting business hours, to ensure that students could take the crucial university entrance exam without disruptions. This highly competitive exam is a make-or-break moment for students aspiring to enter the country’s top universities, and the government went to great lengths to minimize distractions. The decision to ground flights for 30 minutes, including those at Incheon International Airport, reflected the intense societal importance placed on this exam. The unprecedented move was part of a broader national effort to support over half a million test-takers, ensuring they could focus solely on their exams without the added stress of travel delays or disruptions.
On Thursday, South Korea witnessed one of its most significant annual events as over half a million students participated in the country’s highly competitive university entrance exam. This exam, which holds immense importance for students hoping to secure a place at the nation’s top universities, was more closely watched than ever this year, with a record number of candidates sitting for the test. The total number of exam-takers reached 554,174, marking a 6% increase compared to the previous year. This is the highest number of candidates since 2019.
The exam’s importance cannot be overstated in South Korea, where it is seen as a pivotal milestone in the lives of young adults. In a society where academic achievement plays a crucial role in shaping future success, this entrance exam is often regarded as a make-or-break opportunity. Every year, the country’s transportation and security systems adapt to ensure that students can take the test without unnecessary disruptions.
To maintain this level of focus and minimize disturbances, authorities took a highly unusual step: they grounded all flights across the country for half an hour. From 1:05 p.m. to 1:40 p.m., no flights were allowed to either land or take off, including those at Incheon International Airport, the nation’s largest and busiest airport. This decision was made to ensure that the listening comprehension section of the English exam would proceed without interruptions from aircraft noise.
A total of 140 flights were affected by the flight ban, including 65 international departures and arrivals. As a result, many planes were forced to circle the skies, waiting for permission to land or take off. The country’s Transport Ministry had issued orders for aircraft to remain at altitudes of no lower than 3,000 meters (9,843 feet), ensuring that no planes would disturb the students sitting for the exam. In addition, police were deployed across the country to assist students with any logistical issues they might face while traveling to the exam centers. The authorities’ efforts helped ensure that the students arrived at their test sites on time and without any added stress.
The timing of the exam also affected the operation of businesses and government offices. Financial markets and corporate offices opened an hour later than usual to accommodate the testing schedule. This allowed students and their families to focus solely on the exam without the added pressure of managing typical workday responsibilities. By adjusting the usual workday rhythm, South Korea’s government aimed to give candidates the best chance of arriving on time, ensuring that the stress of navigating morning traffic and public transport was minimized.
The university entrance exam is a tradition that has long been ingrained in the national culture. It is a grueling, nine-hour test that students prepare for throughout their entire academic careers. Success in the exam is often seen as a guarantee of access to South Korea’s elite universities, which are known for their high academic standards and strong ties to the country’s corporate world. For many students, the exam represents nearly two decades of education and hard work, with the results often determining the trajectory of their professional lives.
The overwhelming number of candidates this year was largely due to the fact that many of them were born in 2007, a year that experienced a significant rise in the birthrate. This surge occurred because 2007 was seen as an auspicious year to have children, a belief that contributed to a temporary increase in births. In total, nearly 496,000 babies were born in 2007, reversing a steady decline in South Korea’s birthrate that had been seen since the mid-1990s.
Despite this uptick in births, South Korea remains one of the fastest-aging countries in the world. The birthrate in the country has continued to decline in recent years, and in 2024, it reached a historic low of just 0.75 children per woman. However, the increased number of candidates sitting for the university entrance exam this year highlights the temporary effect of the 2007 baby boom, which has now become a notable statistical outlier in the country’s demographic trends.
The entrance exam is also a reflection of the broader societal pressures that South Korean students face. The competition is fierce, and students are often subject to intense pressure from parents, peers, and even the government to succeed. The exam’s results are often seen as the key to future success, and students who don’t perform well can find it difficult to secure desirable jobs or gain access to top-tier universities.
As the entrance exam continues to evolve, South Korea faces significant demographic challenges. Despite the surge in births in 2007, the long-term trend of low birth rates and an aging population is a looming concern for the country’s workforce and economy. South Korea will need to navigate these challenges in the coming decades, finding ways to address the labor shortage and ensure that its educational system remains competitive in an increasingly globalized world.
South Korea grounded 140 flights and delayed office hours to ensure a smooth university entrance exam experience for students. These extraordinary measures were taken to minimize disruptions and allow test-takers to focus on this high-stakes, life-shaping exam.
For now, the focus remains on the thousands of students who spent years preparing for Thursday’s exam. This test, for better or worse, remains a defining moment in their academic and professional careers, and its outcome will shape their futures in ways both immediate and far-reaching.
