SEOUL, South Korea - The motto for one would-be South Korean driver likely is “if at first you don’t succeed, then try, try again another 271 times."

Seo Sang-moon passed the academic part of his driver’s license examination on his 272nd attempt earlier this week.

The repairman, from a small town in the southeastern part of the county who will soon turn 70, said he was illiterate and used the test process to teach himself the rules of the road because he could not read them in a manual.

Since the oral exam was launched, Seo took the test as often as he could, paying about $1,000 in fees along the way. Each failure taught him a little more, and after 271 attempts, he was able to get the minimum score needed to pass the academic test.

Test officials were thrilled to see Seo pass.

“He has been coming here for more than five years and we regard him almost as being one of the family,” an official from the exam office said by telephone.

Seo said he was preparing for his road test, and was discussing with his wife what kind of car to buy once he get his license. “Driving seems a bit hard. But after trying 271 times to pass the oral exam, what do I have to be afraid of?” Seo said.