• Draconic NEO
    link
    946 months ago

    I would say he’s being quite honest, especially considering they have one of the highest suicide rates.

  • Praise Idleness
    link
    English
    48
    edit-2
    6 months ago
    1. Well that’s just not true, although highly sought for.
    2. Pretty much. Although in hindsight, I’d rather have them absolutely destroy my sleep schedule than ending up getting in to less favorable university than where I got in. My parents were nice enough to not do that but I had to do it to myself.
    3. I mean you can say the same thing about basically any other late stage capitalist countries at this point.
    4. For one and a half year! You learn how to brainlessly comply, something that the society demands from us.
    5. Except that we don’t take them seriously for one bit, even when we really have to.
    6. neighbors are really important, folks.

    foods are nice though.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      386 months ago

      Although in hindsight, I’d rather have them absolutely destroy my sleep schedule than ending up getting in to less favorable university than I got in

      Seriously? If you’re going to university you’ll be fine regardless of where it ranks, how can that possibly be worth destroying your teenage years? Is this just social attitudes in Korea or does it actually make any difference?

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        296 months ago

        So the American equivalent is pretty much going to the ivy League then going to work at FAANG or a law firm or finance firm that only hires from the ivies.

        That stuff all exists in the US and it’s certainly something many Americans aspire to as evidenced by the whole college admissions coaching industry.

        What you’re seeing out of Korea is presented as though ALL families are basically telling their kids that they’ll be disowned if they fail to achieve these lofty heights.

        The reality is that there are a ton of more accessible universities throughout the Korean peninsula that kids attend and they end up with reasonable jobs living reasonable lives, current situation of unaffordable housing and rampant debt notwithstanding.

        I would agree that many if not most Korean students spend significantly more time studying than their American counterparts. I will not agree that it’s universally effective to do so.

        Source: Lived in Korea for four years in the nineties and eventually married into it. Though I will admit some of my experiences may be outdated as I haven’t been keeping up with latest trends.

      • Praise Idleness
        link
        English
        56 months ago

        Teenage years are short, a degree lasts forever. Considering how people without a top-notch university degree are treated, I’d much prefer no childhood than such a degrading life in general. People visibly frown at you or change topics when you tell them which school you’re in, as if they heard about some tragic disaster.

        If you’re going to university, you’ll be fine regardless of where it ranks.

        It’s a country where almost everyone is a college graduate, and only a few are actually considered to be college-educated. Some people even hide their degrees to land a job at a sweatshop or something.

        Yes, it’s messed up. But I jokingly tell my parents that they should’ve been way harder on me than they were because I only got into where I ended up, which I think was very lucky, but not the best either. Yes, I’m a big conformist, one of the qualities Korean culture requires that I’ve learned over the years.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          31
          edit-2
          6 months ago

          Everything you’ve written on this thread is very depressing. What is even the point? Why does anyone even want to live in Korea? It sounds like an absolute nightmare tbh.

          I’d expect to be mass immigration away from Korea.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            86 months ago

            It’s not trivial for most people to leave their home, culture, language, family, friends, etc and move to another country

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              10
              edit-2
              6 months ago

              I know… but my country has way more emigration and it doesn’t suck nearly as bad as Korea…

              *And also, I know I would 100% feel differently if I was born in Korea, but I would resent the fuck out of my parents, culture and government if that was my life. People joke China is cyberpunk, but South Korea seems way more dystopic.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            35 months ago

            Just as an anecdote: there is a huge Korean population in Canada. I’d say there is currently a mass emigration, but I suppose only for those able to afford it and want leave at the same time.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          76 months ago

          That’s so alien to me. Well congrats on making it through that meat grinder of a system in one piece!

      • @Socsa
        link
        26 months ago

        Being a teenager is pretty overrated tbh

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          136 months ago

          Yeah but so is having a piece of paper that’s slightly better than someone else’s. Don’t burn yourself out for either.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      35 months ago

      I’m so jealous of the street food there. Literally watched a video of someone making egg sandwiches or something and I think I died a little inside because there’s basically nothing like that in Canada unless you count hotdogs; which I fucking don’t.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        15 months ago

        You guys don’t have egg sandwiches in Canada? Or do you only mean in street food form? Cause if not, just go to a breakfast joint if you want an egg sandwich.

  • Justas🇱🇹
    link
    296 months ago

    I still think living in North Korea would be worse.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    27
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    Life controled by handful of rich familles

    Does S Korea also have the problem of a rigid and corrupt 2 party system?

        • 🐑🇸 🇭 🇪 🇪 🇵 🇱 🇪🐑
          link
          fedilink
          English
          34
          edit-2
          6 months ago

          K-Pop is also as far as the industry itself is concerned, the #1 most cruel music related industry in the world to the people in it. Everything awful about the idol, music and modeling industry compounded by a hundredfold.

          K-Pop as a genre unfortunately is rotten to it’s core. Other music industries are also known to be bad but they’re arguably the worst.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            45 months ago

            K and j pop are definitely among the worst. Tbh the girl pop industry in general. Look at what they did to my girl Britney.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        17
        edit-2
        6 months ago

        My first exposure to it was in 1994. Crazy thing is that today’s k-pop is virtually indistinguishable from that of thirty years ago for me. The music, clothes, hair, and choreography are all exactly the same.

        I’m sure some k-popophile will come put me in my place, but I stand by what I perceive.

        Fun story from back then: One of the big groups back then was Turbo. While spending many hours at the US Embassy getting my wife a spousal visa, she recognized Mikey from Turbo. We go over and say hi and end up spending the whole day with him. He spoke perfect English and pretty much lived in Los Angeles. He told us that a significant portion of Turbo concerts had some other guy wearing a surgical mask pretending to be him because he was busy studying in the US.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        96 months ago

        K pop isn’t my cup of tea. But it’s not shit. Like I’m not a huge fan, but I can see how people would like it.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          35 months ago

          Don’t like K-Pop, but Korean hip hop is enjoyable.

          That said, it’s kind of funny seeing Koreans acting all gangsta, when AFAIK gangs were never really a problem in that country. But to be fair, they’re not really a thing in America anymore, either (at least not compared to how things were before the mid-90s).

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    -2
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    Yeah the mandatory service and shitty neighbors suck. Other stuff mentioned are simply not true.

    Source: I am Korean