Yeot is a sticky Korean taffy. Before the college entrance exam, people give it to the students sitting it: the taffy sticks, and ‘sticking’ stands for getting in. It is a sweet to eat, not an amulet.
Record, Folk and Modern are kept apart, and each one carries its source.
Our files give no early text for giving yeot before an exam. What we can source is the custom as people keep it today (see Folk). We will add an older record if we find one.
To verify: Any early record of yeot given before examinations
Before the college entrance exam, people give yeot to the students who will sit it. The taffy is sticky, and it stands for ‘sticking’, that is, getting in.
To verify: The Korean wordplay behind ‘sticking’, in Asia Society’s own words; Who usually gives it: family, friends or younger students
Yeot is food and a gift between people, so we tell the custom and do not turn it into jewellery or a charm. The good wish belongs to the giver; the exam is still the student’s own.
