APT.: "Forbidden" song haunts South Korea's Suneung students
A yearly blanket of silence has once again enveloped South Korea, as half a million students sit for the most important test of their lives.
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Planes were grounded, construction work halted, and car honking discouraged as the Suneung, an eight-hour university placement exam billed as one of the toughest in the world, kicked off on Thursday.
But this year, there was one sound that students were especially scared of: "APT".
The global hit by Blackpink's Rosé and Bruno Mars emerged as a "forbidden" song among students who feared that its catchiness could cause them to lose focus during the test.
No distractions are too minor when it comes to the Suneung, which many see as a culmination of years of formal education - and a turning point that determines their university placements, careers, and social statuses.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87jl3xk75o
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