On the surface, South Korea’s education system has notable merits. In the OECD’s (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, which measures the cognitive skills of fifteen-year-olds from sixty-five participating economies around the world, South Korea ranked fifth overall in mathematics, reading, and science.1 In the same year, South Korean students placed second, just behind Singapore, in the first OECD assessment of problem solving skills.2 US President Barack Obama has made repeated references to South Korea’s successful education system, even suggesting that American children are not adequately prepared for the twenty-first century economy because they spend less hours in school compared to South Korean children.3

While the United States and other countries applaud South Korea’s academic achievement, the deeper reality reveals an education system ruled by intense competition and an obsession with grades. Unless viable and equally rewarding alternatives to the standard post secondary pathway are made available, students will continue to sacrifice their health and creativity for South Korea’s ?top position in international education league tables. Developing a strong, young social entrepreneurial sector that challenges cultural norms may be a solution to the education crisis.