"I visited a temple in Korea before the Suneung (CSAT), and every single tree was covered in prayers for test scores. It was horrific." Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman, a professor at the University of Chicago, called out Korea's insane private education rat race. At the 2026 American Economic Association (AEA) annual meeting in Philadelphia, Heckman told reporters, "If a society forces competition that only looks at productivity in schools and society, that structure is not sustainable."
"Netizens are torn between acknowledging that 'human capital' is Korea's only resource and admitting that the current system is a soul-crushing 'Hell-Joseon' grind that's killing the birth rate."
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