Twelve years of study boiled down into one eight-hour test for graduating high-school seniors — the suneung, South Korea’s college entrance exam, announced results on Wednesday.

“I’m pretty satisfied with my results. I think I got what I worked for,” said Gi Tae Kim, a student who studied the liberal arts track at Daedong Taxation High School in Seoul. “Overall, I thought it was a bit easier than past tests.”

Like U.S. students, many take annual aptitude and entrance exams more than once to improve their scores.

“I thought that the Korean language section was alright. English was easy. The math and science sections were pretty difficult because there were many types of problems that I wasn’t accustomed to,” said Yun Jae Kim, a high school senior who studied the science course at Sangsan High School in Jeonju.

There are five sections in the suneung: Korean language, mathematics, English language, history/social studies/science, and foreign language/hanmun (classical Chinese). Korean language, mathematics, and English language are deemed the major subjects.

Depending on whether students opt for the liberal arts or science track, students are offered different versions of mathematics tests, and they choose different subjects for the social studies/science tests.

Cha-Hong Min, the chairman of the College Scholastic Ability Test Examination Committee, stated that the difficulty level for this year’s suneung was similar to last year's and did not include exceptionally complicated questions.

This year, in addition to the supreme pressure of doing well on the test, South Korean high school seniors had the disruptive factor of the coronavirus pandemic affecting them.

“I was really worried and anxious because we barely had in-person classes and the test got delayed during one of the most important times in our lives,” said Su A Lee, a high school senior in Seoul.

The South Korean government pushed the test to December 3 instead of the traditional third Thursday in November because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Education and health officials equipped each desk with a Plexiglas barrier and mandated masks for the entire eight hours of test-taking.

“The desks were still only one meter apart and there were no barriers on the sides of the desk," Ji Yun Jeong, a student at Pohang Girl’s High School. "When lunchtime came around, even though everyone was eating at their desks, they all took their masks off to eat… so I think it was a bit insufficient on those terms.”

Jeong added, however, that some students took their lunches outside of the classroom to eat.

Despite mandated masks, ventilation, and the Plexiglas barriers, some violations snuck in.

“There were a lot of students who brushed their teeth after eating lunch, and I saw a lot of them gathered in the restroom without wearing a mask, so I thought that was a bit dangerous,” said Jeong.

“Even though there were guidelines that asked students to stay in their designated classrooms as much as possible and not meet other students, there were still students who would meet up with their friends during break time, and they’d eat snacks or chocolate together,” Jeong added. “When I saw that, I didn’t think that the preventative measures were upheld enough. Sanitization also did not take place after every break either.”

After the suneung, some students are taking a breather from their nonstop studying and reflecting on their final year of high school during a pandemic.

“Because of the circumstances, there’s not much to do other than occasionally meeting up with friends,” said Yun Jae Kim. “I think I’m going to spend most of my time resting at home.”

Yun Jae Kim added he plans to take the suneung one more time in 2021 because he wants to get into medical school or dental school, so he will also be studying for next year’s exam during his spare time.

“It was a really uncomfortable year in general because I couldn’t eat lunch face-to-face with my friends and we had to wear a mask all the time,” said Lee. “Our teachers also complained about how uncomfortable it was to teach with a mask on. Also, a lot of our school competitions, activities and events didn’t end up happening, so I do feel frustrated that my high school experience ended the way it did.”

Jeong, on the other hand, said that despite the setbacks, she does see a silver lining.

“In Korea, students study in a pretty strict studying environment for 12 years...there’s a lot of rote memorization and inculcation,” Jeong said.

“So, I guess one positive outcome would be that we got to focus on the studies and hobbies we want to do. I think this year I developed the power to study and think for myself — and even after the pandemic, who knows what kind of crisis will happen," she said. "So in regards to that, I think it’s Ok that I got to experience this crisis in advance and work on myself.”

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

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