Is Korea's Education System Contributing to its Population Decline?

Lecture in Korean

Image generated by speaker

Sung Jun Hwang, Producer, Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS)

Thursday, April 24, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

10383 Bunche Hall (10th floor)
Los Angeles, 90024

A few weeks ago, the YouTube channel Kurzgesagt, which has 24 million subscribers, uploaded a video with the provocative title, “South Korea is Over.” The content was straightforward: with the world’s lowest total fertility rate, Korea is predicted to collapse economically, socially, and culturally within a few decades. They’re right. It may sound brutal, but Korea is over. And unfortunately, we may not be able to find a way to reverse this trend.

What on earth brought South Korea to this point? Kurzgesagt points to Korea’s extremely competitive culture as the main cause. The chairman of the Bank of Korea, Lee Chang-yong, who shares the same sense of crisis over Korea’s population decline, also highlights the excessive competition around the college entrance exam as a major problem. Yes, Korea’s education system is hell. Students, parents, and even teachers are suffering from extreme stress and anxiety as they ride the relentless train toward the narrow gate of admission to prestigious universities. Competition is inevitable, and studying for entrance exams is never enjoyable. But the problem is it’s too much.

This colloquium will not focus on reducing competition within the education system. Instead, Mr. Hwang will discuss how studying can be made less miserable. Let’s narrow the focus further and look at mathematics, one of the most dreaded subjects. Is there a way for Korean students to study this seemingly cruel subject with a bit more ease? And at the same time, is there a way to maintain - or even enhance - the nation’s competitiveness in mathematics?