Not News: South Korean woman passes driving test. News: On 950th try.
You've just got to admire this kind of tenacity. Earlier this year, we related the story of Cha Sa-soon of South Korea. This 68-year-old woman wanted her driver's license so badly that she had gone to take the written test nearly every single day since April of 2005. Unfortunately, Cha was unable to score the necessary 60-percent score to pass.Ultimately, Cha ended up taking that same written test about 950 times before managing that 60-of-100 score. Yes, you read that right – this woman took the written test 950 times before earning a passing grade. Like we said, tenacity.
That coveted slip of paper didn't come cheap. All told, Cha spent more than five million won ($4,200) in application fees over the last four years. Please join us in a silent prayer for safety on South Korean roadways.
For what it's worth, Cha's not out of the water just yet – she still needs to pass the actual driving test before being rewarded with a real license. According to local media reports, Cha hopes a driver's license will improve her door-to-door vegetable-selling business. Good luck!
[Source: Associated Press via Yahoo]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
daleam 11:05AM (11/10/2009)
After spending all that money, she finally "won".
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Geekengineer 11:48AM (11/10/2009)
"After spending all that money, she finally 'won'."
And if she actually gets her license, everyone else on the roads will lose.
James Sonne 11:57AM (11/10/2009)
The odds of passing the test (assuming it was a 10 question multiple choice test with 5 possible answers) is 0.008%, or 8 out of a 1000. She should have passed such a test RANDOMLY at least 8 times by now.
Either she THOUGHT she knew the wrong answers were right eight times too often, or the test in South Korea is much longer and/or has far more possible choices for each question.
TigerMil 12:15PM (11/10/2009)
Maybe she was illiterate and had to learn korean writing.
Think about it. Could YOU pass an SK driver's license test in korean?
Very few korean illiterates can.
No fair cheating and having it read to you in Mandarin.
cFoo 12:27PM (11/10/2009)
She could have passed the first time had she paid the correct people.
Come on..it's Korea.
James 1:15PM (11/10/2009)
"Cha hopes a driver's license will improve her door-to-door vegetable-selling business. Good luck!"
Yeah..it time to recoup that 5M Won spent on K-DMV by selling the most expensive veggies on wheels...you can't buy. ;p
drolds1 3:11PM (11/10/2009)
@engineergeek. That was a pun on daleam's part. The 'won' is the South Korean monetary unit.
daleam 3:14PM (11/10/2009)
I suspect he knows that, drolds1, and was merely playing a pun of his own.
revaholic 11:05AM (11/10/2009)
*Insert cliche Asian/woman driver joke*
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anonymous j 2:25PM (11/10/2009)
don't you mean stereotypical?
anonymous j 2:32PM (11/10/2009)
I also want to point out that its highly likely about 95% of non Asians who perpetuate this stereotype, especially in America, have probably never even encountered an Asian driver before. I'm looking at everyone living in between the east and west coast where the Asians are particularly sparse.
Turismo4GT 11:06AM (11/10/2009)
I could've made a joke about Asian drivers (believe me one was there), but I truly wish her well. I hope it helps her business to prosper.
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click_playaz 11:20AM (11/10/2009)
Joke? how many times did u take the test?
XJ 11:06AM (11/10/2009)
"she still needs to pass the actual driving test before being rewarded with a real license"
Sometimes people say 'good luck' without really meaning it. I would suspect this would be one of those times.
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Hamhock 11:22AM (11/10/2009)
Perhaps, but I'm not so sure the Korean test is all that hard. I drive down Northern Blvd in Queens every day and the average car is a 2 year old or newer Lexus/Mercedes/BMW with significant body damage driven by a middle aged Korean person. I am sure many of them had licenses in Korea before they arrived and started sideswiping each other.
Raiden 11:25AM (11/10/2009)
wow ham, i can't read one bit of sarcasm out of that post... that's some extremely narrow view of the world you have right there...
so every Asian you see is South Korean?
every South Korean must be born in South Korea with a driver's license?
why so dense?
Malo 5:31PM (11/10/2009)
According to car insurance companies. Considering that Asian Americans on average get in less accidents and less tickets than the average American, this stereotype of bad driving doesn't really fit at all.
steve clark 11:07AM (11/10/2009)
This woman would have been driving in the US after her 2nd test.
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Kyle 11:08AM (11/10/2009)
10 every year since shes been born more like
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JDM Life 1:32PM (11/11/2009)
lol