what’s happenin in korea

You want to know what’s happening? Korea’s education system is literally the most rotten piece of shit to ever exist. 

Let me explain the context of the poster on the left. 

The average time a kid spends in school in the US is 900 to 1000 hours per year, spread between 175-180 days (x)

In 2007 there were mass student protests in Netherlands because they increased the hours spent in school to 1040 hours per year, or 8 hours a day, 130 days a year. (x)

Korean high schools, on the other hand, enact a 3150 policy, 225 days of school with 14 hours a day, or from 8 am to 10 pm (x)

Also due to the private education sector of hagwons and the fierce competition of Korean high schools, basically after school kids go to hagwons, or personal academies, till 2, 3 in the morning, fit in maybe 4, 5 hours of sleep and go back to school. (x)

It was only in 2012 that schools went from having classes on Saturday excluding the first and third Saturday, and it was only in 2007 when they changed from having class every Saturday. (x)

This system is literally the epitome of the factory schooling system which comes as a result of a capitalistic schooling system and it works kids too hard which is one of the reasons Korean school kids are some of the unhappiest of pretty much any OECD country. (x)

For the photo on the right, physical punishment is not fully banned in Korea. 

Since 2011, Seoul, Gyunggido, Gangwondo, and Julla Bukdo have banned the use of direct physical punishment, or basically hitting kids with either tools or physically with their body. That being said that’s basically only about half of South Korea. 

Also, indirect physical punishment such as making kids to planks, make them kneel with their hands up, making them run laps, or of the sort is still fully acceptable in all Korean schools. (x)

Anybody who’s a Korean in a Korean school right now already has experience with getting beat by a teacher and some kids still have to deal with physical punishment by teachers. 

14 hours a day.

14 hours a day.

14 hours a day.

14. HOURS. A. DAY.

When my mom was young and she was in high school, kids often got punished for not bringing materials in on time and sometimes when one kid in the class got in trouble, the whole class had to pay for it as well and they would get beaten on the hands, butt, calves, etc. with a meter ruler. Students also have to run laps, and make them kneel with their hands up, or other physical punishments if they run late to class. Students also get home at around 10 PM and eat dinner then.

Thank you mom and dad for immigrating to Canada

THING NOT MENTIONED:

You can get punished for:

• dying your hair
• having piercings
• wearing accessories
• having long hair
• wearing your uniform in a way that is “inappropriate”.
• excessive makeup

Compared to the things above, these things might seem superficial, but I think that people, especially girls, would definitely feel a strain on their freedom if this happened in the states as well. 

LET ME REPEAT THIS: KOREA HAD TO PASS A LAW SO THAT STUDENTS WOULDN’T BE OUT STUDYING AT HAGWONS UNTIL 2AM. EVEN SO, THAT LAW IS BROKEN BY STUDENTS WORRIED THAT THEIR GRADES WOULD DROP. 

((this part is irrelevant)) Newflash: korea isn’t perfect !