Soo-Neung, the continued Korean tradition and problem

November 30 was Soo-Neung Day, a day for national college entrance exam. The street scene this morning is a little peculiar, something that is hard to be seen in other countries. On the day of Soo-neung, most of the companies and schools are opened late and the walls of high schools are surrounded by hundreds of mothers praying for her son and daughters’ success in the exam.

The zeal of education in Korea is often issued in other countries. In Korea, it is accepted normal for the parents to sacrifice a tremendous amount of their lives for the education of their children and the children in respects are under a lot of pressure to meet their parents’ expectations.

It is uncommon to see parents paying a lot of money to let their pre-school kids, who barely speak Korean, enter the English oriented preschool so that they can get an early start in English education. Also the number of Kirogi fathers, fathers who make money in Korea to support his families who have gone abroad for education purposes. Although the family sacrifices a lot by being separated from each other, the parents gladly accept this sacrifice for their children’s future success.

This passion for education has undoubtly acted as a driving force for a rapid growth of national power in Korea. Only before 50 years ago, Korea was one of the poorest countries in Asia, horribly damaged by the war. However through diligence and passion for the success, Korea is considered one of the most powerful countries in Asia.

However recently, this sometimes overwhelming zeal of education among Koreans is rising as social issue. Some of the teenagers in Korea choose to commit suicide because they experience overwhelming amount of pressure to get good grades.

The zeal of education among Koreans can be traced back to Confucianism that is deeply rooted in Korean culture. One of the most emphasized virtues in Confucianism is ‘Hyo’, which is an emphasis to tend one’s parents with filial piety. Because of this culture, the children try their best to meet expectations of their parents, who are willing to sacrifice so much for their children’s education.

Koreans’ particular passion for education is not something that is entirely wrong. No one can deny the fact that it was the driving force that made Korea a powerful country with outstanding technologies in such a short amount of time. However, it is important to take everything in moderation and be careful not to lose so many important things just for the education of children.