The popularity of entertainment content from South Korea often makes netizens laugh. However, the facts seem to say otherwise.
Korean dramas or drakors often present sweet and romantic stories. The actors are handsome and beautiful.
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However, if you look closely, there are a number of scenes that show the dark side of life in South Korea. Starting from the duration of study for school-age children in order to get the best university to a social life that is not okay.
Here are some dark facts about people’s lives in South Korea and quoted from CNBCIndonesia:
1. Obsession with prestigious universities
South Korean society is known to be very competitive. However, the competition here has reached such an excruciating level that many elementary students take additional after-school courses that last until 10 pm. The goal is none other than to enter a prestigious university.
Critics say the intense competition to get into Korea’s top universities has pushed students to do unreasonable things, such as falsifying scientific papers. Because, to be accepted at a reputable university, they are required to have excellent academic achievements and skills.
Due to these conditions, businesses providing college admissions consulting services are growing rapidly, offering programs designed to help clients get into prestigious universities.
If you are a connoisseur of Korean dramas, you may have watched the Sky Castle series which aired in 2019. Sky Castle reveals how the dark side of the obsession with elite schools features women from the super-rich: politicians’ wives and doctors’ wives. The social pressure imposed on students forces a girl to lie that she attended Harvard University for a year.
2. High social pressure
The torturous competitive culture continues into universities and the professional world. YouTuber Priscilla Lee, the daughter of a Korean couple who now lives in Indonesia, reveals how the competitive culture and social pressures make many people in the Ginseng Country almost never rest.
“It’s so competitive, even resting makes you feel guilty. I always feel like living in Korea. For example, if I want to lie down, I don’t feel comfortable with myself, it’s burdensome,” he said, via a video uploaded on Priscilla Lee’s YouTube channel.
“It’s not normal if you’re not tired,” he added.
3. High suicide rate
High social pressure causes many people to become depressed. In Korea, you will often hear news of students committing suicide because they did not pass their college entrance exams.
South Korea has the highest suicide rate of any member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In a report submitted by South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea’s suicide death rate, or the number of suicides per 100,000 people, was 24.7 in 2018. at level 11.
Experts say the causes of suicide are complex, not only due to personal and mental health issues but also related to economic factors and social pressures. One of these facts can be seen from reports about a number of Korean artists and influencers who ended their lives by committing suicide.
4. Many people are not married and have children
A hard life makes many people decide to live alone, they don’t get married and have children. This life choice was forced to be taken because of a difficult economic life. Many young people have complained about the difficulty of finding decent jobs in the midst of a prolonged economic slowdown.
As a result, South Korea is facing a population crisis. The baby birth rate continues to fall from year to year. In February 2022, the average number of children a South Korean woman bears in her lifetime hit an all-time low of just 0.81 last year, down from 0.84 last year. This marks the fourth year in a row that the fertility rate has been below 1 percent.
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This article also aired on CNBN Indonesia. Click on here.
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