[Suwan News = Lee Geon-young] Every year, South Korea records the highest suicide rate among OECD countries by a wide margin. In particular, youth suicide must be viewed with greater seriousness, as it is not a matter of individual impulsiveness or weak mental resilience, but rather the result of long-standing, accumulated social and structural pressures. At the core of this structure lie the intense competition for college admissions and an educational environment centered on private tutoring.
The Extreme Pressure Created by South Korea’s College Admissions Competition
For a long time, South Korea’s education system has regarded “a select few top universities” and “specific professions” as the sole measures of success. In particular, “medical school” has become a symbol that guarantees both a stable career and a high salary, establishing itself as the pinnacle of college admissions competition.
While “civil servant” used to be the epitome of a stable career, that perception has changed due to low wages and excessive stress from dealing with public complaints. As a result, many parents and students have flocked to careers requiring national professional licenses—which offer both social prestige and financial stability—and, among these, have focused on a single goal: becoming a “doctor.”
The problem is that, in this process, students’ individual aptitudes and choices have been sidelined, leaving only a competitive structure that tolerates no failure. Falling behind in this competition is perceived not merely as a drop in grades but as a “failure in life,” placing extreme psychological pressure on adolescents.
Burnout Caused by Early Private Tutoring Aimed at Getting Into Medical School
This competition for college admissions is starting at an increasingly younger age. The terms “4-year-old exam” and “7-year-old exam” have emerged against a backdrop of anxiety that children will fall behind if they do not start private tutoring early.
What used to be college entrance exam preparation starting in the upper grades of elementary school has now expanded to include even preschoolers, and children are growing up surrounded by cram schools and workbooks instead of play and rest. After-school cram school schedules that run until 10 p.m. and dinners consisting of convenience store food have become the norm, leading not just to simple fatigue but to emotional exhaustion and a sense of listlessness.
An environment that demands such relentless effort constantly sends the message to adolescents that “if you stop, you’ll fall behind,” causing them to internalize a fear of failure.
Children Forced into ‘Medical School,’ Vanishing Freedom of Choice
Parents' expectations are conveyed to their children as direct pressure.
“You absolutely have to go to medical school.” “You’ll only have a successful life if you go to
medical school.”
While these words may sound like encouragement, to students whose grades don’t measure up or for whom becoming a doctor isn’t their dream, they come across as a message that denies their very existence. In a situation where they are forced to pursue a single goal regardless of their own dreams, young people gradually lose even the chance to think about what they truly want.
In an environment where children cannot even easily voice statements like “I want to go to an engineering university” or “I want to attend a technical college so I can get a job quickly,” they come to fear their parents’ disappointment and social stigma more than failure itself. The frustration that builds up during this process can lead to a serious mental health crisis.
The Extreme Consequences of the College Scholastic Ability Test as a Single Standard
The South Korean education system continues to place excessive importance on a single exam: the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). As a result, some of the top-performing students have chosen to drop out of high school and focus exclusively on the GED and the CSAT.
Although the government has attempted to alleviate these issues by introducing measures such as the high school credit system and the five-grade grading system, the college admissions-centered structure itself has not changed significantly. In particular, controversies over the difficulty level of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) in a given year leave students feeling a sense of frustration that is beyond their control, further reinforcing the perception that their future is determined by a single day’s exam.
In this environment, failure is perceived as an “irreversible setback,” and the psychological burden on adolescents reaches extreme levels.
When Failure in College Admissions Leads to a Collapse in Self-Esteem
The competition for admission to middle school, high school, and college lasts at least nine years and, in some cases, more than 12 years. For students who have been evaluated solely on their grades and rankings throughout this long period, failure in the admissions process is not merely a result. It becomes an experience in which they feel that their entire being has been rejected.
Some students who fail to get into their desired schools experience a sharp decline in self-esteem, a breakdown in their relationship with their parents, and end up isolating themselves from society and themselves. At such times, indifference from those around them and flippant consolation like “You’ll do better next time” can actually cause further harm.
To prevent youth suicide, rather than blaming individuals’ willpower or mental resilience, we must fundamentally reexamine the college admissions system—which leaves no room for failure—and a society centered on private tutoring. Above all, it is crucial to convey to children the message that they are respected simply for who they are, regardless of their grades.
Lee Geon-young
