"I Couldn't Eat My CSAT Lunchbox"...The Story of a 'Mishap' While Trying to Eat Warm Rice

If You Put Hot Rice In Immediately, the Lid Might Not Open
Growing Interest in Selecting Lunchbox Menus for Suneung
Enjoying 'Suneung Special' with Lunchboxes, Desserts, and More

With the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) just one day away, preparations for 'CSAT lunchboxes' have become busy. Tips and precautions for preparing lunchboxes are being actively shared on online cafes and social networking services (SNS).

On the 13th, a post titled "Points to be careful about when packing a thermal lunchbox" was uploaded on a parents' cafe. A netizen who shared tips for preparing lunchboxes in the post said, "When putting freshly cooked rice into a thermal container, you must let it steam properly," adding, "If you put rice that is too hot directly in, as time passes and the rice cools, the pressure difference makes the lid impossible to open."

Insulated lunch box for exam takers. Screenshot from Market Kurly homepage.

There was even a story shared about the lid of a thermal lunchbox not opening on the day of the CSAT, causing trouble. Comments included, "I packed the lunchbox with care, but the lid wouldn't open, so I went hungry," and "The English test is right after lunch, so losing concentration from hunger would be a big problem."

There was also great interest in selecting the menu for the CSAT lunchbox. The lunchbox menu devised by school meal expert Im Young (real name Lee Mi-young), who was active during the airing of the Netflix cooking competition show 'Black and White Chef,' became a hot topic. In a video posted on the Gyeongnam Office of Education's YouTube channel on the 10th, the expert recommended easy-to-eat foods such as vegetable rice balls and kimchi rice balls as menu options.

Recommended rice balls as a lunchbox menu for the College Scholastic Ability Test. Screenshot from Gyeongnam Office of Education YouTube video

Meanwhile, 'thermal lunchboxes' have become popular products in various marts and online malls since about a month before the CSAT. In fact, earlier this month, a discount event for products from a famous thermal container brand was held on Naver's official smart store.

In Korea, where the school meal system has long been established, it is rare for students to bring lunchboxes from home, so there is little need to purchase thermal lunchboxes or tumblers separately. Because of this, demand for lunchboxes surges during times when lunch must be handled separately, such as the CSAT and mock exams.

The CSAT boom is not limited to thermal lunchboxes. High-calorie snacks and diffusers that emit stable fragrances also see a surge in sales during the CSAT period. According to a 2021 survey by the dawn delivery platform Market Kurly, sales of dessert gift sets such as chocolate, pineapple cakes, and roll cakes increased by 150% one week before the CSAT, while diffuser sales rose by 280%.