Inalchi's Hit Song 'Beom Naeryeonda' Comes to Mind
"Melody Played in My Head Throughout the Exam"
'The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down, a beast is coming down into the deep pine valley'
On November 13, a sentence in questions 18 to 21 of the Korean Language section of the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test left some test-takers feeling perplexed. The passage features a pansori line, "The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down, a beast is coming down into the deep pine valley," which is identical to the lyrics of the hit song 'Beom Naeryeonda' by the band Inalchi. Some pointed out that this made them recall the song's melody while reading.
"I found myself humming without realizing it"
The 'Sugungga' mentioned in questions 18 to 21 of the Korean Language section of the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test. Photo by Yonhap News.
'Beom Naeryeonda' became widely known as background music in a 2020 promotional video for Korea posted on the Korea Tourism Organization's overseas YouTube channel. The video has garnered more than 53 million views. In particular, the song's opening line, which starts with "The tiger is coming down," is so popular that even those uninterested in music are familiar with the melody.
As a result, some test-takers confessed that while reading questions 18 to 21, the melody involuntarily played in their heads, leaving them flustered. On an online test-taker community, posts appeared such as, "While solving the problem, I kept hearing 'Beom Naeryeonda' in my head and it was distracting," "I found myself unconsciously humming the tune," and "The song wouldn't leave my mind during the entire exam." Some also said that the humorous lyrics, like "No matter how you look at it, round and round" and "Let's try this delicious delicacy, roar," made it hard to suppress laughter.
'Feel the Rhythm of Korea' promotional video Seoul edition. The hit song 'Beom Naeryeonda' by the band Inalchi was included. YouTube screenshot
Was this CSAT Kant Day? Kant appeared in Korean, English, and Social Studies
Separately, questions related to Kant appeared in the Korean, English, and Social Studies sections, prompting test-takers to comment that "This year's CSAT was Kant Day." In the Korean section, questions 14 to 17 presented the perspectives of several philosophers, including Kant, Strawson, and Longinus, and required students to compare and structure the scholars' viewpoints for better understanding.
In the English section, question 34, a fill-in-the-blank item, was based on Kant's concepts of law and freedom, with the passage arguing that society is maintained because law restricts human violence and the potential for conflict. In Social Studies, Kant appeared as an example in some questions in the Life and Ethics and Ethics and Thought subjects. In response, test-takers commented, "I spent four hours with Kant. At this rate, Kant himself took the CSAT," and "A day that started and ended with Kant."
Meanwhile, Kim Changwon, Chair of the College Scholastic Ability Test Question-Making Committee, stated on November 13, "The 2026 CSAT included questions of appropriate difficulty, in line with the content and level of the high school curriculum." At a briefing on the test direction held at the Government Complex Sejong, Kim emphasized, "We created the questions based on the content and level of the high school curriculum, focusing on core and fundamental topics from the curriculum to help normalize high school education." He added, "Even for core and fundamental topics already covered in previous exams, we varied the format, ideas, and approach of the questions."
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