Third time’s not always the charm. In Cha Sa-soon’s case it took 960 tries — and thousands of dollars — to get her driver’s license.
However, the South Korean is now cruising along after finally passing her written driver’s test, as detailed in a viral video recently shared by Asian Culture Unlocked on YouTube.
Cha Sa-soon, who lives alone in the village of Sinchon, finally aced the exam on her 961st attempt.
Her remarkable success story occurred more than a decade ago — but recently resurfaced on Reddit, and is inspiring people all over the world.
When she finally passed the test in 2010, she was 69 years old.
She also became something of a local celebrity in South Korea, as her story inspired many people who were struggling to get their own license, according to the widely shared footage.
Sa-soon, who is now in her 80s, didn’t let anything deter her, and she determinedly sat for the written test every day for five days a week over a period of three consecurtive years, according to the New York Times.
However, things didn’t stop there. Next up: Two driving skill and road tests.
However, she failed each of them four times in a row, but persevered through it all, finally obtaining her driver’s license.
In the end, Sa-soon shelled out over 5 million won — or about $4,200 USD — trying to pass these tests, according to NBC News. (Other outlets estimate the amount she paid out at closer to $13,500 USD.)
The grandmother learned to drive at the Jeonbunk Driving School, and when she finally passed her tells, all of her long-suffering teachers helped her celebrate.
“When she finally got her license, we all went out in cheers and hugged her, giving her flowers,” Park Su-yeon, an instructor at the driving school, told The Times in 2010.
“It felt like a huge burden falling off our back. We didn’t have the guts to tell her to quit because she kept showing up.”
Her story even caught the attention of car empire Hyundai, who awarded Sa-soon with her own car that cost $16,800. She also starred in a popular commercial for the automotive company.
“I didn’t mind,” Sa-soon said at the time. “To me, commuting every day to take the test was like going to school. I always missed school.”
Sa-soon sells her home-grown vegetables for a living, and wanted to learn how drive in order to maintain her business.
She also told The Times that she wanted to be able to take her grandchildren to the zoo.
