Academic Achievement-Oriented Society and Its Relationship to the Psychological Well-Being of Korean Adolescents

It is hard to deny that Koreans’ faith and investment in education have played a pivotal role in rebuilding the nation after a devastating war and achieving its economic growth. To Koreans, education has meant the best way to improve the quality of life. Ironically, Koreans’ zeal for education became a burden, and because of it, the quality of life, especially that of youth, is being compromised. Since high academic achievement becomes the most important goal for Korean youth, other aspects of their development are largely ignored, and this can have serious effects on the overall quality of their life. In this chapter, we highlight the serious state of psychological well-being of Korean youth by examining Korean society’s orientation toward academic achievement and various aspects of the psychological state of Korean adolescents and the connection between them.