“Sky Castle”: a Portrayal of Korean Society’s Views of College

“Sky Castle” is a Korean drama that was released in 2018. It tells the story of ambitious women of elite families striving to ensure the success of their children and husbands. The drama portrays the negative consequences of the intense academic demands of Korean parents who only care for their own success, wealth, and authority. It also shows how much stress Korean teenagers have to handle in order to survive in the elite class. “Sky Castle” has succeeded internationally because of its engaging storyline and the actors’ stellar performance.

Sky Castle is a luxurious residential area in suburban Seoul. The Sky Castle residents are the most prestigious families in Korea, with many generations of doctors and lawyers. By fair means or not, the parents are trying to send their children to the best universities. Although they argue their effort is for their child’s happiness and secure future, what they really want is for the success of their child to bolster the family pride. The motif of this drama is based on true events. Han Seo Jin, the most ambitious character in the show, hires ‘University Entrance Coordinator’ Kim Joo Young to make sure her daughter gains admission to Seoul National University. The ‘University Entrance Coordinator’ manages her daughter’s grade, daily schedule, after-school activities, living arrangements, and even her eating habits. In the drama, the coordinators are introduced to the parents at the annual VVIP event hosted by the central banks of South Korea. Many viewers thought that the VVIP event was just a fictitious activity made up by the writers of the script. However, according to Kang Sung Tae, a graduate of Seoul National University, university coordinators actually do exist for upper-class students. He shared his experience in one of the VVIP event on his YouTube channel.

Cha Se Ri is the daughter of Cha Min Hyuk, who is a lawyer in the show. She was the darling of her family until her fake entrance to Harvard University was discovered by Sky Castle residents. This is a true story based on an event that happened in 2015; Cha Se Ri is a character based a real person name Sara K, a Korean math genius who graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in the United States. She also won first place in USAMO (the United States of America Olympia) and received media attention for her efforts. In 2015, she was accepted by both Harvard and Stanford University at the same time. She claimed Stanford and Harvard allowed her to attend their schools for two years without charge, meaning that of her four years of undergraduate study, two years will be spent at Harvard and the other two at Stanford. She also claimed that the universities agreed that she can choose to graduate from one. However, it was later discovered that these claims were falsified by Sara K.

Many students believe that University Entrance Exam is the most important stage of their life. Many Korean students spend their middle school and high school period as a school slave. This is because, in hierarchy-based countries such as South Korea, China, Japan, the university that one attends decides their job and position in society. Sometimes, the extreme Korean parents emphasize “You are going to fail unless you do well in the University entrance exam.” In fact, ironically, entering a good university doesn’t seem to guarantee a happy life at all. Kang Joon Sang, the husband of Han Seo Jin and a successful doctor said in the play, “I’ve been living the wrong life! How long do I have to care about others perception of me? Mom, you are the one who failed my life.” This quote shows that entering a good university might guarantee a successful career, but it doesn’t guarantee the fulfillment of a fundamental need for joy.