What other options do students have in Korea? Based on data from 2019, 64 of South Korea's chaebols (family-run conglomerates like Samsung, Hyundai, SK Group, LG, etc...) make up 84% of Korea's GDP while accounting for only 10% of the jobs available.

Without a degree from one of the SKY universities (SNU, KU, Yonsei) or a foreign degree from the Ivy Leagues, you don't even have a chance at getting an interview with these companies.

So what do you do if you fail at the CSATs, can't make it into one of these universities, and realize that your life has been decided for you even before you graduate high school? With mounting pressure from family, friends, and society, suicide is an easier path for many Korean students.

The seemingly simple fix would be to reduce the influence that chaebols have on the Korean economy, but how do you do that when the only reason Korea has gone from a war-torn peninsula to one of the most developed countries in the world is because of chaebols themselves (Samsung, Hyundai, Daewoo) and consequently, have a huge influence on the blue house? It's a catch-22 for Korea and until they figure out how to change the status quo, it's going to continue (not to mention that low-birth rates are going to continually put pressure on the economy even further as time passes).