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Suneung: South Korea exam cheif quits over 'insane' English test
Oh Seung-keol resigned after the controversial English paper led to the lowest top scorer rate of just over 3%, sparking debate on test difficulty and student burden.
- This year, Oh Seung-geol, head of Korea's Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, resigned after an outcry over the English Suneung paper and said, `We sincerely accept the criticism that the difficulty of questions... was inappropriate.`
- The English section featured specialised passages and unusual vocabulary, including questions on Immanuel Kant and gaming terminology, plus the confusing portmanteau 'culturtainment'; just over 3% scored top marks this year.
- Students had 70 minutes to answer 45 English questions within an almost eight-hour Suneung that totals about 200 questions across subjects; several passages required subtle inference, prompting confusion.
- Foreign outlets and readers probed the sample items as the chief's resignation intensified global scrutiny, and on Wednesday Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Jung Geun-sik proposed scrapping the Suneung entirely.
- The rare resignation of a test chief has amplified calls for reform, as Mr Oh’s departure was the first over difficulty and only four of 12 Suneung chiefs have completed full terms.
Insights by Ground AI
20 Articles
20 Articles
It is a very sensitive issue in the country, and the protests on the English test led to the resignation of an important official
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Total News Sources20
Leaning Left6Leaning Right4Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution38% Left, 37% Center
Bias Distribution
- 38% of the sources lean Left, 37% of the sources are Center
38% Left
L 38%
C 37%
R 25%
Factuality
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