Each year, over half a million Korean students sit for the grueling college entrance exams, a ritual that has defined generations and is set to commence again this spring. Amid the intense pressure to secure spots at the nation's top universities, families pour years of preparation and investment into their children's success, often prioritizing binge studying above all else.
Yet this high-stakes obsession has fueled a troubling surge in mental health crises, including low self-esteem and suicides. Last year, three teenagers in Busan took their own lives due to the overwhelming exam pressure. The Korea Times reported last June that Korea's suicide rate stands at 7.9 per 100,000 people per year, with college entrance exams identified as a major contributing factor. Similar trends persist across other Asian countries, though data availability varies.
A poignant short film recently viewed on YouTube, titled “The Pen” and directed by Joram Jonah, starkly illustrates the human cost of such academic fixation. The story centers on an Indian student who has failed his 10th-grade exam twice, leading him to binge-study obsessively, cry over his failures, and push himself to the brink.
In the film, the boy's father berates him for pausing to walk outside and draw, despite the teen's talent as an accomplished artist. His devoted mother urges him to eat and care for himself, offering a counterpoint to the relentless demands. The narrative takes a fantastical turn when the boy acquires a magical pen, its power activated by him drawing a smile on the cap and forming a bond with it—a metaphor for psychology, spirituality, life, happiness, and humanity.
The pen ultimately intervenes dramatically, alerting the parents to find their son hanging by a cord, allowing them to save him in time. Later scenes show the fulfilled young man running his own art exhibit, embracing a path beyond academics. While the film leaves the family's learning from the suicide attempt to the viewer's imagination, it culminates in a powerful message: life is about more than academics or academic success.
This sentiment resonates deeply amid Korea's exam culture. In the long run, the specific college attended matters less than cultivating passion for one's life and work, followed by appropriate training. Many famous individuals achieved greatness without attending the nation's top universities. For those who falter, the option remains to retake the exam. Ultimately, life transcends the narrow measure of academic triumph.
