Yesterday was the big college entrance exam, the one for which high schoolers study around the clock for the prior 12 months. And when I say around the clock, I really mean around the clock -- going to school at 7 in the morning, finishing in the afternoon, going to a private study hall to study well into the night, then going home to sleep around midnight before starting all over again.

Yesterday, no shooting was allowed at shooting ranges, in order to avoid possibly startling students out of their concentration.

This exam, and all the stress that comes with the extreme competition, is a definite problem in Korea, acknowledged by Koreans as well as outside observers (including the UN, which cited Korea in its 2002 review of countries where children's rights are violated because of the educational system here). Too many people, not enough spaces.

Speaking of tests, I've got a midterm tomorrow in my video class. For the life of me, I couldn't settle down to study this afternoon. Good thing I studied semi-seriously on Tuesday.