While recommendation letters from principals or homeroom teachers are basically mandatory for Korean universities too,
to get into a US service academy,
a recommendation from a Senator, Representative, or even the President or VP is mandatory.
If the Korean Ministry of National Defense announced today that a National Assembly member's recommendation is now a requirement for the military academy,
the Minister of Defense would be burned alive the very next day.
"Netizens are having a deep debate about the clash between Korea's obsession with objective 'merit-based exams' vs. the West's 'recommendation and networking' culture. Some think it's just plain nepotism, while others explain it as a system of shared responsibility and trust."
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![[Smiley] National Institute of Korean Language: Word of the Month](https://kcomm-assets.b-cdn.net/thumbnails/thumb_3fc7e67fc8f14611.webp)
