If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again - But Not 950 Times

SKorean woman passes driver's exam on 950th try

Nov 06 2009

South Korean Woman Sets Record for Failed Driver's License Attempts

A 68-year-old South Korean woman, Cha Sa-soon, shows her application form for a driver's license in Wanju, south of Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009. Cha had passed the written exam required for a driver's license Wednesday after hundreds of failed attempts over the past four years, police said Friday.

SEOUL, South 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.