The 90 Seconds That Changed Everything
jump the gun: to start or do something too early, before the right time
In Korea, the college entrance exam is treated almost like a national holiday. Planes are grounded during the listening section so noise does not disturb students. Stores open late so families can drive their children to test sites. For most teenagers, this eight-hour exam is the single moment that will decide their university, their career, and, many believe, their life.
But at one school in Seoul, something went wrong. During the first part of the test, a teacher jumped the gun, ringing the end of test bell about 90 seconds too early. Students stopped writing. Pencils went down. By the time someone noticed the mistake, it was too late.
Teachers tried to fix it by giving the students 90 extra seconds at the lunch break, but the students said this didn’t help. They could not go back and change their earlier answers. The damage was done.
So 42 of them sued the South Korean government. Two years later, in January 2026, a court agreed that the early bell had harmed them. The government must now pay each student 5 million won, about $3,750.
This exam score can decide which university a student attends, and in Korea that often shapes everything that comes after. Years of late-night studying lead to this one morning. When every answer matters that much, going to court is no surprise. The real surprise is that 90 seconds can change a young person’s life at all.
Sample sentences
She jumped the gun and bought a wedding dress before he had even proposed.
Don’t jump the gun on this deal. We still need to read the contract carefully.
We jumped the gun when we painted the nursery pink. The doctor wasn’t completely sure about the baby’s gender.
Origin
The expression comes from track-and-field racing. A runner who starts sprinting before the starting pistol fires has “jumped the gun.” It has been used since the early 1900s and spread from sports into everyday English.
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South Korea students sue after teacher ends exam 90 seconds early
