The English section of South Korea's gruelling college entrance exam, or Suneung, is notoriously difficult, with some students comparing it to deciphering an ancient script, and others calling it 'insane'.
So intense was the criticism around this year’s test that the top official in charge of administering it resigned to take responsibility for the 'chaos' it caused.
'We sincerely accept the criticism that the difficulty of questions... was inappropriate,' said Suneung chief Oh Seung-geol, adding that the test 'fell short' despite having gone through several rounds of editing.
Among the most daunting questions are one on Immanuel Kant's philosophy of law and another involving gaming jargon.
The latter, worth three points, asks students to pick where a sentence should fit in a given paragraph. Many have criticized the way the question and several others were worded, with users on Reddit denouncing it as 'fancy smart talking' and 'awful writing'.
Just over 3% of this year's test-takers scored the highest grade for the English section, down from 6% last year, highlighting the growing concerns over its accessibility.
Notably, English language professor Jung Chae-kwan argues it's misleading to label the test as 'tough', emphasizing that while the texts aren't impossible, they are confusing and frustrate educational goals.
Each November, the Suneung influences every aspect of student life in South Korea, where the stakes are not just academic, but deeply tied to social status and future opportunities.
Only four of the twelve Suneung chiefs since the exam debuted in 1993 have completed their terms, typically resigning due to errors. Oh is the first to resign specifically for the test's perceived difficulty.
