Suneung: The Judgment Day
The results for this year's Suneung are coming out today. Nowhere is the pressure of the college entrance exam more visible than in the praying families.
competition
When We Don’t Go to College
In S. Korea, those who don't go to college are labelled as "failures." Here are the voices of those who chose not to go, despite the prevailing norm.
Education Blues Pt. 1: South Korea Cracks Down on Elite Schools
Moon Jae-in plans to do away with a part of South Korea's notorious education system: elite schools. But his move has flaws.
South Koreans Compete for Government Jobs as Economy Flounders
The increasingly fierce competition for a place in South Korea's civil service sometimes results in tragic consequences.
Even Getting Into the Military Is Competitive in South Korea
Competition in South Korea extends to getting a spot in the military. South Korean men study English, donate blood to fulfill their national defense duty.
Beyond the 99%: Alternative Education in South Korea
Nearly two decades have passed since the first challenges to South Korea’s predominantly state-driven education sprang up. Can alternative schools change the country’s oppressive education climate?
A Nation as Beautiful as a Rolex Knockoff
Physical appearance rules supreme in South Korea. But beneath this fixation on beauty is an uncomfortable truth that we are not what we appear to be.
Inside the Noraebang: Power Ballads and Neoliberal Capitalist South Korea
The popularity of a power ballad - "She's Gone" - speaks to South Korea obsessed with effort and traumatised by a neoliberal capitalist order.
An Assault Upon Our Children: South Korea’s Education System Hurts Students
The world looks to Korea as a model for education but the system has a dark side. Korean education produces students who are overachieving but unhappy and ill.