By The ironic thing about this story is that she will probably be a safer driver than many of the people already driving in Korea:
A woman in South Korea who tried to pass the written exam for a driver’s license with near-daily attempts since April 2005 has finally succeeded on her 950th time. The aspiring driver spent more than 5 million won ($4,200) in application fees, but until now had failed to score the minimum 60 out of a possible 100 points needed to get behind the wheel for a driving test.
Cha Sa-soon, 68, finally passed the written exam with a score of 60 on Wednesday, said Choi Young-chul, a police official at the drivers’ license agency in Jeonju, 130 miles (210 kilometers) south of Seoul.
Police said Cha took the test hundreds of times, but had no specific total. Local media said she took the test 950 times.
Now she must pass a driving test before getting her license, Choi said.
Repeated calls to Cha seeking comment went unanswered. She told the Korea Times newspaper she needed the license for her vegetable-selling business. [Associated Press]
12:35 pm on November 8th, 2009 1
Perhaps Ben Franklin said it best:
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
12:42 pm on November 8th, 2009 2
Hmmm. I am mistaken. That is not a Ben Franklin quote according to Wikipedia:
"Misattributed to various people, including Albert Einstein and Mark Twain. The earliest known occurrence, and probable origin is Rita Mae Brown, Sudden Death (Bantam Books, New York, 1983), p. 68."
1:51 pm on November 8th, 2009 3
"Now she must pass a driving test before getting her license, Choi said." Can't wait to hear the results.
3:04 pm on November 8th, 2009 4
I get they feeling they gave it to her.
4:47 pm on November 8th, 2009 5
Only 60% to pass? Damn, that answers many questions.
8:18 pm on November 8th, 2009 6
One thing is certain: she can't be WORSE than most Korean drivers…
Only 60% to pass? What, were they changing the questions on her everytime?
1:31 am on November 9th, 2009 7
Pete,
Did it occur to you that maybe she can't read, or at least not too well? As easy as hangul is to understand, according to the Korean government's own statistics 80% of the population couldn't read in the late 40's (at around the time she would/should have been in elementary school). Sure, South Korea nowadays has one of the highest rates of literacy in the world, but, still, there are many people who can't read.
I've been here long enough to remember a time when most highways weren't completed yet, and I sure there are some who can recall when there were only dirt roads…So, imagine what the older generation must have gone through in order to go to school if they lived in a remote village up in the mountains during the Korean War.
1:34 am on November 9th, 2009 8
…not that I think many did go to school. More likely, they were already teenagers after the war and therefore had to work in order to help support their family. Fast forward 50's years and you have a section of the older generation who spent the better half of a century working and raising a family, never having had the time to learn to read.
5:02 am on November 9th, 2009 9
She is 68. So far has paid about $5,000 in fees. I think she should have just driven without license. Chances of getting caught are not that high, unless accident. Even when caught her fine would probably be less than she has paid already. Maybe she thinks this piece of paper will somehow give her the skills to drive. I doubt she will ever pass the road test. Many US states will not let you take the written test every day. After three failures you must enter into a waiting period. Just choosing answers randomly on 950 tests could result in a score of 60.
9:00 am on November 9th, 2009 10
Or she only can read chinese, or japanese.
10:34 am on November 9th, 2009 11
I sponsored my Korean brother in law to come to the states in the 1970s. He obtained ( without much trouble) an international drivers license in Korea for $24. When he arrived here he went to the state vehicle licensing office and they (without any questions) issued him a US state licence to drive. Yet up to that time, had never been behind the wheel of a car. I know because I spent the next three months teaching him how to drive from scratch. He drove into a fence at 5mph on our first lesson.
5:32 pm on November 9th, 2009 12
Comparisons of Cha Sa-soon and a GI in a Juicy Bar?
One was looking for a D grade… the other was looking for a D cup.
One likes a "vegetable-selling business"… the other likes a meat market.
When driving, it's best they both have full coverage.
Both of them are working on being able to park it in the rear.
They both stop when they see a red light… only one goes in for a drink actually thinking he is going to get the green light from a yellow.
One is just old enough to remember when you needed to use a hand crank… the other uses it nightly.
It won't cost Ms. Cha $300 to make a pass.
The GI doesn't really want to see Ms. Cha wrapped around a pole.
They both spent about $4000 but didn't get to drive it home.
They are both one short of 69.
They both might rear-end someone… only one (hopefully) gets rear-ended.
When Ms. Cha failed her test, she didn't have to take antibiotics and avoid alcohol for 2 weeks.
7:00 pm on November 10th, 2009 13
Local media is the source of the number of times she took the test? Well, it must be true!