Headline February 09, 2018/ '' 'SOUTH KOREA'S *STUDENTS* SAUNTERINGS' ''

'' 'SOUTH KOREA'S *STUDENTS* 

SAUNTERINGS' ''

THE  EDUCATION FEVER : ''The widespread perception among Korean society that people can work only if they graduate university is the fundamental cause of the excessive education fever.''

On top of the high school classes that run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., many students in South Korea stay at school for hours of self-learning everyday.

Some take classes in private academies called ''hagwon'' until late at night, including weekends and even holidays, in a bid to get into the best schools and universities.

IT WAS CREATED as a biting satire of South Korea's notoriously competitive education system, but the country's most popular cable TV drama -

Has inspired some fans to ignore its warnings and instead double down on their pursuit of success.

'Sky Castle' follows several ambitious families as their drive to send their children to the country's best universities and secure lucrative jobs leads to identity fraud, suicide and murder.

The show's name comes from a fictionalized version of luxury residential community in Seoul's suburbs, but is also a nod to the acronym 'SKY,' which refers to South Korea's top three universities : Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University.

It is the most watched drama ever to air on South Korean cable networks, according to Nielsen Korea and has found a wide following in China.

As the series came to end this week, however, there were signs the show has led some South Koreans adopt some of the more intense educational measures the creators intended to criticize.

Sales of the ''study-cube'', a $2,235 wooden closet less than one square in size where students can hide themselves away to focus on their homework, for example, have soared eight-fold after it was featured in the show, according to the company which  makes it.

''I saw the studycube on ''SKY Castle' and bought it of my own will to to create a suitable studying environment for me,'' said 16-year-old Lee Do-gyeong, who is  hoping to be accepted  to one of Seoul's top-veterinary programmes.

Demand for specialized university entrance coaches has also increased, after the show depicted a  university admissions coordinator going beyond school records to guide everything from sleeping patterns to friendships.

Lee Man-ki, director of Uway Institute of Educational Evolution, plans to increase the number of courses for aspiring college prep consultants by 50 percent.

All of this runs contrary to what the show's creators intended, ''SKY Castle'' chief producer Kim Ji-youn told Reuters.

''This news of a flood of orders for studycube or people eagerly searching for study coordinators are what the script writer wanted to avoid the most,'' she said.

''The script writer, who also went through her child's university admissions process, wanted to give the audience awareness of excessive education fever.''

Studycubes sparked debate when they first appeared in South Korea seven years ago, and their appearance in ''SKY Castle'' led to fresh questions over the country's high-pressure education culture.

Student Lee Do-gyeong, the high school student, said she was looking forward to studying in cube's  sound-proof seclusion, but she acknowledged that if parents forced their children to use the room it could be ''nothing more than a rice chest' '-

A  reference to an infamous incident when an 18th Century Korean prince was locked away in a rice chest to die.

Choi Ki-ju, the chief executive officer of studycube maker EMOK, said seclusion can help students focus without distractions. One customer compared using the studycube to reading in the toilet, Choi said. 

The Honor and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on Education and Students, continues.

With respectful dedication to the Leaders, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of South Korea and then  the world.

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'''Education & Culture'''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless