University entrance exams tomorrow in South Korea - will students take advantage of ”exam takeout discounts” and get cosmetic surgery after the exams?

Tomorrow, the 13th, South Korea will hold the College Scholastic Ability Test (School Scholastic Ability Test, Suneung), which is equivalent to the Japanese Common Test for University Admissions.
Among them, a campaign that offers discounts on cosmetic surgery to students who visit after finishing their exams is gaining popularity.
The exam has not yet ended, but cosmetic surgery clinics are already being inundated with inquiries from students seeking advice. The exam is held every November. This is the day when students are busy in all aspects.
Priority will be given to those taking the listening test. Government offices and some companies will delay arrival times to work, and Seoul's public transportation will increase the number of subway and bus services. In addition, airports around the country will halt aircraft takeoffs and landings during the listening test.
This year's test takers were 554,174, an increase of approximately 31,500 from last year. Ahead of the exam, delivery of the test question papers and answer sheets began on the 10th.
According to public broadcaster KBS, these forms will be transported to 85 test locations across the country under police escort, kept under strict security at storage facilities in each location until the day before, and then sent to the test center on the morning of the test.
Just like in Japan, in Korea, products for students taking exams are sold and events are held during this period. According to the Korean media Maeil Business News, sales of related products are increasing at convenience stores.
According to GS25, a convenience store operated by GS Retail, an analysis of sales data for the week from the 1st to the 7th of this month revealed that sales of writing implements increased compared to two weeks ago (October 18th to 24th).
Other gifts include daifuku mochi (rice cakes) (22.7%), which are meant to encourage students to "stick together (and pass)," and hot packs (
Sales of Korean food (53.8%) and Chinese herbal drinks (20.7%) also recorded significant growth. In addition, in Korea, after the exam, "exam taker discounts" are being offered in various places, where people can receive discounts by bringing their exam ticket.
In particular, as Korea is known as a "cosmetic surgery powerhouse," discount campaigns offered by cosmetic surgery clinics are popular among students taking exams, to the point that they are even called "graduation surgery."
According to the media, a staff member at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, told the outlet, "Until a few years ago, we received a lot of inquiries about the university entrance exam after it was over.
"It started off slowly, but recently there has been a sharp increase in inquiries from September to October," he said. When the media contacted 10 cosmetic surgery clinics in the ward, six of them said they would be closed on weekends until the end of the year.
In the past, most patients were women, but recently the number of men has increased significantly. Meanwhile, the media outlet reported, "Experts are deciding on cosmetic surgery and other procedures.
"We have advised them to carefully consider this beforehand," he said, adding, "There are many advertisements on cosmetic surgery platforms and online communities that highlight prices, and there are also many advertisements for 'surgery' through social media.
There are also many reviews of cosmetic surgery, which makes it less of a psychological hurdle, but once you have decided on cosmetic surgery, it is often impossible to go back to the original, and reoperation requires more effort and costs.
"There is a possibility that you may get a discount," he warned. Promotions that put "discounts for examinees" at the forefront seem to have been losing popularity overall recently. In the past, examination tickets used to come with "all-purpose discount coupons."
However, in an article published on Stream in November last year, the Korean news agency News 1 said, "Consumption trends have changed due to the economic downturn and the spread of online shopping, and the number of students taking entrance exams has dropped sharply. Meanwhile, the number of foreign tourists has increased.
"These students have become the main customers, and the value of exam tickets is becoming obsolete," he said. A man who has run a shoe store in Seoul for many years told News 1 at the time, "Even after the high school entrance exam is over, there are no test-taker customers.
The owner of a cafe in Seongnam, near Seoul, said, "Last year (2023), we held an event to give homemade chocolates to students taking exams, but this time
"By 2024, the price of cocoa had almost doubled, and we couldn't afford to hold the event," he said.