Box set: TV drama stirs debate over S.Korea's cutthroat education culture

"* Popular cable series skewers competitive education, work culture

  • Show has increased demand for personal study closets, university consultants
  • Competition exacerbated by tight job market, demand for top 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 countrys best universities and secure lucrative jobs leads to identity fraud, suicide and murder.

The show’s name comes from a fictionalised 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." …

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/02/reuters-america-feature-box-set-tv-drama-stirs-debate-over-s-koreas-cutthroat-education-culture.html