K-Dramas have provided more than entertainment to viewers from all over the world. For those who are not familiar with Korean culture, they provide an insightful look into Korean society, traditions, and norms. For one, Hallyu (the Korean wave) lovers can learn about societal factors such as the Korean education system as it is shown in K-Dramas.

Today, we'll take a look at the Korean education system as it is portrayed in K-Dramas like "Crash Course In Romance", "Green Mother's Club", "SKY Castle", and more. We'll consider the basic truths presented in these dramas and debate some of the exaggerations added to fiction for entertainment purposes.

These dramas have shown us different elements of the Korean education system such as hagwon culture, the hyper-importance of the Korean college entrance exam, the SKY university trifecta, and more. Let's take a deep dive into them now!

Note: This article may contain spoilers for the K-Dramas "Crash Course In Romance", "Green Mother's Club", "Penthouse: War in Life", and "SKY Castle". 

 

Hagwon Culture: What is a Hagwon & What Role Does it Play in the Korean Education System?

'Hagwon' is the romanized Korean word for a 'private academy' (학원 in Korean). Different from a private school, a hagwon is an academy that students attend over and above their school education. It is an after-school cram school that focuses on select skills or subjects like mathematics or English. There are specialized academies for subjects like piano or dance, as well.

Students as young as elementary age attend these hagwons to improve their academics and to give themselves a competitive edge. As hagwons focus on fine-tuning certain concepts and teaching advanced skills, any given school classroom in Korea may see a wide gap in students' skill levels depending on whether they attend a hagwon or not.

Some of these hagwons even have special programs catering to a smaller amount of students, giving them yet another advantage over other children through better education material and extra academic care.

It's also important to note the monetary dynamic that's deeply linked to the education system, especially hagwons. Top education costs top dollar and this creates social inequalities as only those who can afford a superior education will be able to receive it. The middle and lower social classes may not have access to some of the finer education resources.

 

The Impacts of High Academic Pressure on Students and Their Parents

In a country where top academics are a top priority, there's no second-guessing that pressure is an inevitable part of the game. As much of a blessing as it is to get extra help with one's studies, many Korean students bear the burden of certain studies and hagwon culture on their shoulders.

The need to get top education becomes hyper-important to the point where families will move to certain neighborhoods if it means securing their children the best education. There are even children who travel hours from their cities just to attend a hagwon in a certain area.

"Watching my parents working all day to make sure I am getting expensive after-school education, I feel it is my duty to go to a good college. However, sometimes I question if I really need to be going on two-hour train rides to get a two-hour lesson."

-  a student interviewed by Korea Joongang Daily

One student cited the most challenging part of hagwon culture as the repetitive nature of the routine. She emphasized that she was living the same day over and over just studying. However, she can overcome it with the help and empathy of her friends.

"There are so many times when I'm so tired and want to cry and quit everything... But talking and eating delicious food with my friends helps me relieve  my stress and hang in there."

- Student during a documentary interview with BBC News

In a street interview with Asian Boss, random Korean citizens noted that sleeping for 6 hours as a student was considered sleeping a lot. In fact, there is even an expression that claims that to sleep for 6 hours means that one won't go to university but sleeping for 4 hours means you stand a chance.

There are a number of sayings that have been used to enforce the idea of studying hard, too. Such as:

"If you study hard now, your future husband's face will change."

"Let's ride subway line number 2."

"If you study for just 10 minutes more, your subway line will change."

Seoul's subway line 2 is known for having stops at some of the top universities in Seoul. Thus, making it a desirable subway line for most aspiring university students to want to take.

These are just minute parts of the intense Korean study culture.

We see some (if not most) of the aforementioned dynamics in several K-Dramas about the Korean education system.

In "Crash Course In Romance", we see school parents going to various lengths to ensure that their children get registered and even get a front-row spot in the top maths lecturer Choi ChiYeol's private after-school classes. Choi ChiYeol is played by actor Jang KyungHo. Although these scenes may be possibly exaggerated, we see mothers sabotage each others' kids to get a spot in the exclusive All-Care Program, waking up at the crack of dawn to line up for a spot in the private classes, and more.

In "Green Mother's Club", we see the conflict between schooling, education styles, and parenting philosophies. Lee EunPyo (played by actress Lee YoWon) switches her parenting philosophy from being a mother who values her son's free-spiritedness to a mother who competes with others to secure her son the best grades and education, to his detriment.

We see the same in "SKY Castle", but there is more emphasis on how private this education community is. Their community prides itself on only having the best of the best educational resources.

However, if you compare these dramas with each other it's hard to tell to what extent the competitive nature of these practices extends. Each of them presents a different layer of the Korean education system despite commonalities.

It's always important to note that the portrayal of the Korean education system shown in K-Dramas is still fictional (to whatever extent) for entertainment purposes.

 

Daechi Moms

One common point in all of these K-Dramas is the students' mothers.

The moms that we see portrayed in these K-Dramas are referred to as 'Daechi Moms'. They are the ones enforcing the pressure that is innate to the education system, with their children's best interests at heart.

Daechi Moms get their name from the Seoul neighborhood Daechidong. Daechidong is a neighborhood in southern Seoul (in Gangnam - known for its affluence) that is considered one of the best and most expensive areas to receive private education in the whole of Korea. Many families go to hectic lengths to secure their children's education from neighborhoods like these and schools with the best academic reputation.

You might have seen Daechi Moms in dramas like "Penthouse: War In Life" which specifically emphasizes the wealth of these families who live in an exclusive neighborhood of Gangnam.

In fact, it's well known that these academic hubs are so bustling that they have hectic traffic and are most busy between the hours of 8 PM and 11 PM at night, as students flood out of private academies to finally go home. With most schools (elementary, middle, and high school) starting at either 9 AM or 10 AM in the morning, this means that children spend the entire day learning and studying. Some even go as far as receiving tutoring on top of that, as well as studying when they get home, in addition.

This phenomenon gave birth to the term 'the Korean 10-to-10'. The Korean 10-to-10 refers to studying from 10 AM to 10 PM at hagwons.

There is another term called '7/11' which refers to going to school from 7 AM and leaving at 11 PM. In this case, from 7 AM to 9 AM is self-study time, 9 AM to 4 PM or 5 PM will be regular classes, and 7 PM to 11 PM will be more self-study time.

Most students have no choice but to comply with these ideals because they are the norms enforced upon them by their teachers, society, and mostly by their parents.

As such, many international K-Drama lovers have compared Daechi Moms to tiger moms or helicopter parents but on another level.

 

The Suneung: The Korean College Entrance Exam

The competitive nature of Korea's education system is not only found in the hagwon registration process. The competition is evident in schools and especially in the race to enter the top universities in the country through the Korean version of the SATs. In fact, one could argue that the whole point of long school hours and hagwon culture is to prep students for this single exam.

The South Korean college entrance exam, romanized as suneung (수능 in Korean) is an eight-hour-long exam that many South Koreans believe determines their future. The suneung results will decide which university students are placed in and can attend which university; which will determine the level of the company/workplace they can get hired in. Thus, inadvertently adding a different dynamic to the student's status in society in the grand scheme of things.

"What if I don't do well on the test? Will I be a failure? Am I not of value? Am I not capable? Studying for this test and this system made me think like that. But now I don't think that way anymore. The only thing the exam grade can tell about you is the exam grade. At this point, I just want to feel that I'm proud and confident that I didn't give up for the past year." 

- Student during a documentary interview with BBC News

Many Koreans attach the exam result outcome to their value in society, unfortunately.

The suneung exam day is when the country all but shuts down to make sure that students are uninterrupted during exams. If you commute to work, especially past a high school on suneung morning, you might be shocked by how quiet it is. You might see police or delivery workers escorting students to school so that they can arrive on time for the exam. On suneung day, airplanes are re-routed so as not to cause noise for the exam-taking students, and companies are encouraged to shift their start times to prevent traffic and crowding on public transportation.

You might also see hoards of parents outside the school gates wishing their children the best before they go in. These parents often wait with bated breath until the afternoon to find out how their child thinks they did on the exam afterward. Some parents and grandparents have even been known to spend the day at church, praying for the best outcome. Due to the immense pressure from the exam, the end of it when students walk out of their school gates is often considered a cause for celebration.

 

SKY Universities: The Ultimate Goal For Many

For those who are not satisfied with their suneung results (for example if they don't get grades high enough to enter a SKY university or the university they want), they often retake the exam even if it will take years for them to get their desired grades.

The SKY universities in Korea can be seen as the country's holy grail when it comes to education. SKY is an acronym using the first letter for Seoul University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. For a Western reference, you can consider these schools the IVY League of Korea.

Graduating from or even having one of these schools on your resume already gives you the power to get a higher-paying job than your peers who attended other universities. These would be jobs at Korea's biggest conglomerates such as SK, LG, Samsung, Hyundai, etc. These companies will prioritize graduates from the top schools to fill their staff, but it's not impossible to attend one of them with a degree from another university. This culture also excludes certain fields such as medicine, however.

Additionally, universities that are not SKY universities but are based in Seoul are also considered prestigious universities to attend. In fact, there's a phrase 'In Seoul' which automatically implies that you are a top academic achiever as you've managed to go to university in the capital city.

Korea undoubtedly has some of the best achievement statistics when it comes to education in the world, especially graduation stats. However, there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to prioritizing students, their overall health, and their interests within the education system.

Perhaps these K-Dramas highlighting the Korean education system are aiming to launch discourse amongst the general public about this.

What do you think of the Korean education system as it is portrayed in K-Dramas? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.