Jaesusaeng (Hangul: 재수생; Hanja: 再修生) is the Korean language term for high school students who scored poorly on the South Korean College Scholastic Ability Test and then decided to spend a year studying to re-take the exam, hoping for a high-enough score to enter the university of their choice.[1] Which university a student attends has a major impact on the future career.[2]
Gaining entrance to the particularly competitive SKY schools in Seoul requires that many students become jaesusaeng after an initial poor performance on the national exam. Korea is "prepossessed by social status and reputation," and a SKY education is the main way to gain status.[3]
The public education system is not enough to prepare students for the exam, so most must attend after school lessons at various hagwon (cram schools). The fierce competition for enrollment at prestigious universities is called "entrance exam war" (Hangul:입시전쟁; Hanja: 入試戰爭). When a student fails to earn an adequate score over 3 or more years, he may be derisively referred to as a jangsusaeng (Hangul: 장수생; Hanja: 長壽生, literally "long life student") a play on words from the expression "Please live a long life" said to elders: 장수 하세요. The stress from constant study and no social life of as a student has contributed to an increase in suicide in South Korea; for children aged 10 to 19 years old, suicide is the second most common cause of death.[3]