Live-streamed prayers for stressed South Korean exam parents

Nine-hour prayer sessions, live-streamed speaking in tongues, bowing before a Buddhist altar 108 times: South Korean parents are turning to God as students sit a crucial exam Thursday.

The "Suneung" university entrance exam is a major event in the education-obsessed South, and officials take extreme measures, from rescheduling flights to pausing construction, to ensure students can give their best performance.

At a church in Seoul's wealthy Gangnam district, parents gathered for a nine-hour prayer marathon, with specific requests to God tailored around the structure of the multiple choice exam, which will be taken by 522,670 pupils this year.

"I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep last night but the praying session made me feel much better," parent Kang Soo-jung told AFP, adding she planned to stay for the entire event.

For the first section -- Korean language -- priests prayed for students to read clearly, and when it moved to maths, parents asked God for their children to perform smooth calculations.

At a church on the outskirts of Seoul, pastor Han Seung-woo was leading a prayer session for hundreds of parents. Many wept as he asked God to bless their test-taking offspring with "wisdom and courage".

"I shared my hopes that, regardless of whether students do well or not on the exam, parents can find reassurance in knowing that God is with them every step of the way," Han told AFP.

- 'Still our loving children' -

Pastor Lee Chan-soo, who has held "Suneung prayer sessions" since 1992, said he tried to use the sessions to prepare parents to face any exam disappointments with equanimity.

"The Suneung isn't everything in life. It's just the start," he said. "They are still our loving children and God's children regardless of the test scores."

At the Bongeunsa Buddhist temple, one of Seoul's largest, head monk Wonmyung was trying to comfort parents, who were performing rituals to help their children.

Some parents bowed 108 times before the altar -- which in Buddhist theology should result in their wishes coming true.

"I know this is one of the most important days in a parent's life," Wonmyung said, adding it was all about "praying so that (the students) have peace and calm in their minds".

For parents who are unable to pray in person, many churches and temples stream the sessions live on YouTube.

Yoido Full Gospel Church, one of the largest churches in South Korea with about 480,000 members, is holding a YouTube live for the entire duration of the exam, featuring gospel songs and the faithful speaking in tongues.

BTN, South Korea's largest Buddhist television channel, broadcast chants that parents can join in from home.

If parents donate, their hopes for their child's exam results and the student's name will scroll across the screen.