SEOUL, South Korea – In keeping with nationwide efforts to cut down on noise, South Korea asked the U.S. military to keep its servicemembers quiet on Thursday so high school seniors taking the country’s annual college entrance exam would not be distracted.

“If students can’t hear it due to noise in a certain area, then it wouldn’t be a fair test, would it?” said a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs, speaking on Korean customary condition of anonymity.

U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Andre Kok said Wednesday the command respects the JCS announcement asking for quiet for a 25-minute period during the early afternoon language testing, and decisions about activities were to be made by individual commanders, not at the USFK level.

“It’s definitely something people are aware of,” he said, adding that the U.S. military has worked with South Korea in the past to keep noise to a minimum during the testing.

Taking the entrance exam is widely considered to be the most stressful day of a student’s high school career, since the pressure-cooker test determines which college a student will be able to attend – and likely, his or her career trajectory for life. Attending a top tier college or university virtually guarantees a job at a prestigious company, while those who attend lesser colleges or skip university may have difficulty finding high-paying work.

Because Koreans often work for the same company for all or much of their career, landing a good first job is considered critical for success.

Last year, the government banned flight landings and takeoffs for 40 minutes during a listening section of the test and stock markets delayed the opening of trade for an hour, Yonhap News reported. Government offices opened an hour late to minimize traffic and buses and subways extended their rush hour to make sure students arrived at testing centers on time.

More than 650,000 students took the nine-hour exam in 2013, which tests Korean language, math, English, a second foreign language and social and natural sciences, Yonhap said.

rowland.ashley@stripes.com

Chang.yookyong@stripes.com