South Korea quake postpones 'life-defining' college exam

South Korean students expressed confusion and dejection on Thursday as the country's highly competitive annual university entrance exam was postponed a week for the first time ever due to safety concerns.

The exam was delayed after a rare earthquake rattled the country on Wednesday, causing damage to buildings including some schools.

"It's a bit hellish thinking I have to do this for one more week," said 20-year-old Cho Hyun-lee, studying at one of Seoul's largest cram schools to prepare for the highly competitive test.

"I still have some books, but some of my friends had thrown away all their books so they went to the trash to retrieve them. Others went to the bookstore last night for new ones," said 20-year-old Yang Geun-Hyeok.

A total of 1,536 people were temporarily displaced from their homes while at least 57 people were injured, South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Thursday.

The magnitude 5.4 quake struck about nine km north of southeastern port city of Pohang on Wednesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

The exam is life-defining for many high school seniors, as a prestigious university on one's resume is seen as a minimum for securing a place in limited corporate jobs in Asia's fourth-largest economy which is dominated by conglomerates.