(LEAD) Military forces hush as teens cock their ears for English tests

By Sam Kim
(ATTN: CLARIFIES test periods in 3rd para)
SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- As millions of teenage students nationwide prepare to
be tested on their capacity to understand spoken English, hundreds of thousands
of soldiers in South Korea are also gearing up to stay quiet.

The military said Tuesday that its 655,000-strong forces plus the 28,500 U.S.
troops stationed in the country will try to keep their noise level as low as
possible when middle- and high-school students take their English listening tests
later this month.
Over 3 million students will take part in the standardized semiannual tests from
Wednesday to Friday and from Sept. 23-25, measuring their auditory skills in what
is considered here to be the most essential secondary language.
All military airplanes will be barred from taking off or landing for at least 20
minutes each day when the tests are conducted, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)
said in a statement.
Emergency situations will be an exception, the JCS said, adding that planes that
do take off will be required to fly at an altitude of at least 3km so that sonic
noises will be barely audible on the ground.
"In addition, various live-fire and mobilization drills will be suspended on the
ground so students will have no trouble taking their English listening tests,"
the JCS said.
Because of high population density, the distance between military bases and
residential areas tends to be short in South Korea. The country also places a
high priority on the scholastic achievement of its students, who compete fiercely
to gain admission to top universities.
U.S. troops, which also operate aviation units, are stationed in South Korea as a
deterrent against North Korea. The tests will be conducted through classroom
speakers at local schools.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)