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At around 8:40 a.m. Korean Standard Time a landslide it the EBS studios in Umyeon-dong in Seoul on Wednesday. The studio was evacuated and no one was injured. Water and mud flowed through the building and down the street, uprooting trees, washing down concrete blocks and damaging cars. Residents are working together in clearing debris and removing storm drain grates.

It hit in the middle of broadcasting “Morning Special” on EBS FM. A rumble was felt in the studio and was assumed to be thunder. A few minutes later, a call came in from the news anchor Peter Binn, who had just left the studio, that a landslide had occurred. During the break, the order was given to evacuate the building, which was already flooded with water and mud.

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By Noh YunMi, Ewha University journalism student

Waking up at 6:30 in the morning, they rub their sleepy eyes, put on their uniforms, and take the same crowded buses. Their labor starts with the 8:30 morning bell. Rest is only allowed at lunch. They fight against a silent enemy in the afternoon classes. They continue their work in study hall. They let themselves go to bed some time after 1 a.m.

This is a typical day for Korean Goesam, or 12th graders in Korea. Often described as warriors, Goesam study for six years to wage battle during the Suneung (referred to as the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) in English). It is the university entrance exam which Korean Goesam must take in November. As this year’s Suneung is less than one week away, students’ anxiety levels are at an all-time high.

This year, however, an unprecedented government announcement increased their worries. In March, Ahn Byung-Man, the former education minister, announced that “about 70 percent of the 2011 Suneung will be closely connected with material from books published by EBS (a Korean education broadcaster).”

“It’s a big burden compared to last year’s Suneung,” says Moon Ji-Yeon, who is preparing for the exam a second time this year. “The 70 percent seems like a guideline, but it actually confuses me. I can’t cover or remember all the material from those EBS books.”

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