| Teachers and junior students at Yongsan High School in central Seoul send support, Wednesday, to seniors who will take the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) on Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Kim Rahn
Public offices will open later and transportation will be expanded today, the day of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), for over half a million test-taker.
Public offices will open at 10 a.m., an hour later than usual, in an effort to ease traffic congestion during the morning rush hour as exam-takers need to arrive at their test venues by 8:10 a.m.
The stock market and banks will also delay their opening by one hour, so the market will open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and banks from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In Seoul, the city government will increase subway operations in the morning and extend the rush hour operation time to facilitate the transportation of test-takers and workers who will be heading to work later than usual.
Some 810 city-owned and private cars will be on standby near subway stations and bus stops to transport test-takers to their test venues if needed.
Flight operations will also be suspended during the English listening test hours between 1:05 p.m. and 1:40 p.m., as noise from flights can interfere with the test. Takeoff and landing will be banned during the time, with planes about to land having to stay in the air over 3 kilometers in altitude under the control tower's direction.
Test-takers will also have to brace themselves for cold and bad weather, as the mercury is forecast to plummet on Thursday, with the central parts of the nation having subzero temperatures, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Cold wave warnings were issued Wednesday evening for Seoul and Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces, as Thursday's morning lows there were expected to drop more than 10 degrees compared to Wednesday's. Seoul will have minus 3 degrees Celsius, and Chuncheon, minus 4 degrees.
"The subzero temperatures could freeze roads that have been wet from Wednesday's rain," a KMA official said.