In Korea, everyone is born with a ‘spoon’: a gold spoon for million, billionaires, steel for the middle class, and dirt for the poor. Changing the ‘spoon’ is so difficult, being born again as a ‘gold spoon’ would be faster than trying to be so in life. In a world where dragons no longer rise from small steams, most students turn towards standardized exams as their only opportunity of capitalization. Perhaps, those tests seem fairer than SATs or APs that cost over $100 per subject. Or perhaps, standardized testing for high-earning jobs such as lawyers, doctors and public officers rather than expensive graduate schools seem like an equalizer. It is true that on the surface, it seems as if there is much more chance Carlos would faire well in Korea. However, ‘capitalization’ in Korea is as hard, or even harder than climbing up the ladder in the United States.
In the course of their lives, Koreans almost never step outside their social circles. Even in KMLA, where students all around the country gather, there are hundreds of acquaintances. Nearly half of them come Fineman, a renowned academy, while the majority of the rest would still come from a similar academy in Gangnam. These students who probably shared similar English kindergartens, private schools and academies also share mutual friends, family and teachers. These bonds knot and tangle to strengthen the walls between classes.
So what happens to the students that were not born with a proper spoon? Although pro-capitalization system is still in place, they have hardly ‘equal’ chances. The education and support required for success in these exams are only provided by private education, as public education often responds to the students’ needs with a nonchalant “But aren’t you supposed to have learned all this in academies?”. A Korean parent would spend at least $000 per month/per child, and the money the parent invests in the child is almost directly proportional to their success. Compared to American education system- which with the exception of few private schools rely more on individual effort than private education- the Korean system are much more dependent on the student’s economic level.
There are almost no second chances, or alternative roads in Korea. The KSAT is held only held once a year, loaded with questions only academies can pinpoint. There is no security net system, as studying for an extra year is very costly. And of course, there is no Eric Eisenhower. The society does not bother to care for the underprivileged, yet talented students because all the top-tier universities and corporations have a load of high-class, well-educated students knocking at their doors. Plus, Korean education system provides almost no support towards the arts, technology, or specialized interests schools. The Korean society is cruel enough on its more privileged members, but much harsher on those who are not.
So the very, very few poor talented students who managed to overcome all their hardships while achieving high grades make it into the headlines. The students slave away their time and identity to try to stuff themselves in through the needlepoint-hole in the wall between classes- simply because there is no other way. Then the 1%, the final survivors of the cruciating competition are then consumed as hero archetypes for the Korea dramas, comics and novels. They are reborn as aspiring ‘characters’ that often are introduced in self-development books, to aspire others to believe in the illusion of capitalization. However, behind the shining stage, these survivors, in real life, would be discriminated and slaved until the others find an appropriate substitute.
Nothing ever changes. Yet, everyone burns oneself away chasing these illusions we all at least subconsciously identify as unreal. When will we be brave enough to face and bear the weight of truth?
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