Race Against the Bell: South Korean Students Take Legal Action Over Exam Bell Mishap

At least 39 South Korean students have taken legal action against the government, claiming that their college admission examination concluded 90 seconds earlier than scheduled. The lawsuit, filed by the group on Tuesday, seeks compensation of 20 million won (approximately $15,400) each, equivalent to the cost of a year's studying to retake the exam.

The incident occurred during Korea's college admission test, known as "Suneung," an eight-hour examination with consecutive papers in various subjects that significantly impact university placements and job opportunities. Allegedly, the bell rang prematurely at a test center in Seoul during the Korean exam, the first subject of the test. Despite immediate complaints by some students to supervisors, their papers were taken away.

Interestingly, the timing error was realized by teachers before the next session, and they granted an additional 90 seconds during the lunch break. However, students were only allowed to mark blank columns on the exam papers and were prohibited from altering existing answers.

The students claim that the distraction and disappointment caused by the incident affected their focus on the remaining exam. Some students reportedly left the exam prematurely and returned home. According to the students' lawyer, Kim Woo-suk, education authorities have not issued an apology for the incident.

In response, officials stated that the supervisor at the specific test site had misread the time. This incident follows a similar case in April, where a Seoul court awarded 7 million won ($5,250) to students who alleged that the bell rang approximately two minutes early during the 2021 Suneung exam.