Korea's education fever and demographic decline

• Published date: 09 March 2023
• Publication title: The Korea Times

I recently finished watching the hit Korean drama "Crash Course in Romance" from tvN. I thoroughly enjoyed the romantic comedy, but there is a dark side to the story that should not be overlooked. (Spoiler alert ? below includes information about the show, so if you have not seen it, you may wish to stop reading.)

Revolving around the life of a star teacher, his pupils and their parents, the show takes viewers inside an elite private academy in Seoul and explores the pressures felt by participants in South Korea's highly competitive culture of education. Through 16 episodes the show racks up an astounding list of troubles caused by Korea's education fever: one sociopath with homicidal tendencies, one student driven to urges of murdering a rival, two suicides, one attempted suicide, one threatened suicide, two destroyed marriages, one divorce, two criminal cheating scandals instigated by parents and numerous cases of unethical behavior by overly competitive parents and an academy boss. At times the show is a light-hearted rom-com, but it is also a showcase of systemic mental and physical child abuse.

My consistent worry while watching the show was how closely this art imitates reality. In the show, parents manhandle students to force them to study; every student lacks sleep and a proper diet; and one former student is a homebound recluse after a mental breakdown from study pressures. In addition, overly competitive mothers collude to have the top achieving student ejected from a special class, not only to remove a rival, but also to help the derelict son of a wealthy and connected family to receive a seat in the class.

Equally disturbing in the show is a student who does not know how to study. He formerly attended a school for sports but was cast aside after an injury ended his prospective career. This element hit close to home as I once had a similar student who was injured one year before university graduation. His fellow students taught him to read his textbook and take notes in class, as one would help an elementary school student. I often wondered how he would survive with no practical skills to speak of following his so-called education.

I realize a number of shows have dealt with the education of Korea's youth over the past few years, but I have generally avoided them. In retrospect, much of my troubling discomfort with this show came from the pervasive and natural ease with which these dark elements of tortured children and unscrupulous parents weaved...