Archive · 14 Dec 2025
South Korea's Suneung Exam Difficulty Sparks Controversy
The Suneung is a very important and tough exam in South Korea that helps students get into college.
This year, the English part of the exam was super hard, and many students, teachers, and parents complained.
They said the questions were too complicated and not really about understanding English.
Some people even compared it to reading really hard philosophy books.
Because of all the complaints, the person in charge of the exam, Oh Seung-geol, had to quit.
Some people think the exam is supposed to be hard to prepare students for college, but others think it's too confusing and not helpful for learning.
The exam is such a big deal that even construction sites and flights are stopped during the test to keep it quiet.
The Suneung exam's English section was criticized for being excessively difficult and confusing.
Students and educators compared the questions to deciphering academic manuscripts and philosophical texts.
Suneung chief Oh Seung-geol resigned, taking responsibility for the exam's difficulty.
Critics argued that the questions were framed in a confusing manner and pushed test-taking strategies over genuine learning.
Defenders of the exam stated that its difficulty reflects the level of material students will encounter in university.
- Who
- Students, teachers, parents, and the Suneung chief Oh Seung-geol
- What
- Controversy over the difficulty of the English section in South Korea's Suneung exam
- When
- During the 2023 exam and subsequent backlash
- Where
- South Korea
- Why
- Students and educators found the English section unnecessarily complex and confusing, leading to widespread criticism and the resignation of the Suneung chief
- Exam Name
- Suneung
- Duration
- 8 hours
- English Section Duration
- 70 minutes
- English Questions
- 45
- Top Grade Achievers (2023)
- 3.01%
- Top Grade Achievers (2022)
- 6%
- Exam Date
- November
- Suneung Chief Resigned
- Oh Seung-geol