Fuck Iraq Body Count - we need Korea Body Count, which currently stands at five suicides in the aftermath of this year’s university entrance exam. Go over to Ruminations in Korea and read his two posts on Korea’s Exam hell (Post 1 / Post 2). A snippet:
It just makes me sick to think of the amount of pressure that these kids must be under. How much pressure would it take to drive someone to suicide over a test?
The bar exam was far and away the most difficult test that I have ever been exposed to. However, I was an adult and chose to take that test. I was not forced to study for it 18 hours a day for most of my life. I just cannot relate to or understand what these poor kids are forced to go through. Is it worth it? I wonder what the parents of the five dead kids have to say.
Infidel (nice new site design, BTW) adds his own thoughts on the entrance exams. Money shot:
Perhaps, a thousand years ago, these tests were an advance on despotic favoritism, but in a globalized, meritocratic, modern world, they are only a reminder of how humans create idols of their worst impulses. As if they ever deserved their seats, South Korean legislators today should just apologize and resign. Another crop of corrupt buffoons could do no worse than these uncompromising monsters have.
The Flying Yangban also discusses Exam Hell, although he does end on a slightly more cheerful note:
If you have a chance to talk with a recent Korean high school graduate, ask him what he did in school between the time he took the CSAT and graduation. The short answer will be “nothing.” All they do is hang out with friends in class and sometimes watch videos because the teachers know better than to try to teach them anything.
Unfortunately, that period can be extended all the way past grad school, too.
