Actress Lee Min Jung has opened up about one of the most difficult moments of her school years, revealing that a mistake on South Korea's college entrance exam left her crying for nearly 10 hours and eventually led her to retake the test the following year.
On November 3, Lee Min Jung uploaded a video to her YouTube channel, Lee Min Jung MJ, documenting her return to Hyundai High School, where she studied before entering Sungkyunkwan University.
During the visit, she reunited with former teachers, looked through her old school records, and treated current students to snacks while offering encouragement ahead of their college entrance examinations.
The visit also brought renewed attention to a painful experience Lee Min Jung had previously shared on her YouTube channel.
Recalling her first attempt at the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the actress admitted that she made a serious mistake while filling out her answer sheet.
"During my senior year of high school, I had a painful experience with the college entrance exam and ended up retaking it. I marked the last 11 answers incorrectly," she explained.
According to Lee Min Jung, she initially believed she had performed well, especially in English, where she expected to have made only one or two mistakes.
However, when she checked her results, her score was much lower than expected.
"For example, if I thought I would get 362 points, the actual score came out to around 338. I couldn't understand what had happened," she recalled.
After reviewing her answers, she discovered that she had accidentally shifted the final 11 answers by one position on her OMR answer sheet.
"If there were 60 questions, I had marked 61 answers on the OMR sheet," she explained.
The mistake was devastating for the actress, who had worked hard to prepare for the important examination.
"That was the worst day of my life. When I saw my score, I wondered, 'Is my life over?' and cried so much," she admitted.
Lee Min Jung revealed that the stress was so overwhelming that she experienced physical symptoms, including skin rashes and an allergic reaction.
"I can't even describe the stress. I think I stayed alone in my room and cried for about 10 hours," she shared.
Despite the emotional setback, Lee Min Jung decided to prepare for the exam again rather than give up.
She described the following year as one of the most hardworking periods of her life.
"The year I spent preparing to retake the exam was the year I worked harder than ever before," she said.
Her determination eventually paid off.
On her second attempt, Lee Min Jung reportedly scored close to 380 out of 400 points and successfully gained admission to Sungkyunkwan University.
Returning to her former high school years later, the actress reflected on how difficult her teenage years had been.
She admitted that she struggled emotionally during her second year of high school, partly because she missed her old friends and had difficulty adjusting to her new environment.
However, she gradually regained her focus during her final year.
With this year's college entrance examination approaching, Lee Min Jung also shared an encouraging message for students preparing for the test.
"When the exam is just around the corner, you feel anxious and wonder what you should be doing. I hope you won't be too nervous and that you'll do well. I'll be cheering for you," she said.
Her personal story highlights how a mistake that once felt like the end of everything eventually became an experience she was able to overcome through another year of hard work.
Now, Lee Min Jung hopes her experience can encourage students who may be feeling the same pressure she once faced.
