South Korean Woman Passes Driving Test On 960th Attempt, Repeated Failures Did Not Deter Her

South Korean Woman Goes Viral For Passing Driving Test On 960th Attempt

Driving tests can be a notoriously tricky challenge to overcome for many. Failing it on the first, second or even third try has become pretty common to hear of.

While most of us might probably give up eventually, one woman in South Korea kept at it — and finally passed on her 960th attempt.

Though this happened many years ago, her story recently went viral once again on Reddit, with many praising it as an example of tenacity.

South Korean woman passes driving test on 960th try

According to the Yonhap News Agency, Cha Sa-soon tried the written test for the first time on 13 Apr 2005 but failed.

Undeterred, she retook the exam five days a week over the next three years. The journey to her driving school was also troublesome, requiring her to change buses twice.

Madam Cha subsequently sat for the paper twice a week until she finally passed it on her 860th attempt.

The next part of the test, the practical section, also proved to be challenging, and Madam Cha had to retake it 10 times before she passed.

The total number of attempts was reported to be 960, with the cost coming up to over 5 million won (S$5,100).

Despite racking up such a high amount of expenses, Madam Cha didn’t throw in the towel at any point.

She needed to drive for her vegetable-selling business in Jeonju, she explained.

Driving instructors overcome with joy at success

The staff at Madam Cha’s driving school, Jeonbuk Driving School, were overcome with joy when she eventually passed the test, the Daily Mail reported.

“When she finally got her licence, we all went out cheering and hugged her, giving her flowers,” her driving instructor recalled. “It felt like a huge burden falling off our backs.”

We hadn’t had the guts to tell her to quit because she kept showing up.

Madam Cha additionally noted that she was the subject of mockery for her repeated failures.

Despite this, she kept persevering and was rewarded with her eventual achievement of passing the test.

At the time, Madam Cha rose to national fame due to her continued determination and even received a vehicle worth €12,500 (S$18,000) from Hyundai as a gift.

Although this happened over 15 years ago, her story has gone viral once again on Reddit, garnering Madam Cha praise and admiration for her tenacity.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again

There exist certain tests in the world which can drive us to the point of giving up.

As such, kudos to this woman for not doing so and continuing to push through until she ultimately succeeded.

Hopefully, this will serve as a motivation for the rest of us to keep trying for success at the things we want to do — whether we fail once or 959 times.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Yonhap News Agency.