A+ K-Dramas About Perfect Students to Motivate You to Study

Being a student is not all sunshine and rainbows, especially in Korea, and these shows provide a nice insight into this aspect of Korean culture.

In South Korea, education is taken so seriously that in some areas, traffic is stopped to prevent noise pollution on the day of important exams.

With this in mind, it is no wonder that this aspect of the country's culture has become the focus of several Korean TV shows.

So let's take a look at five K-dramas that focus on the struggles of being a model student.

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1. Sky Castle (2018-2019)

This black comedy series satirizes the materialistic desires of upper-class parents to secure their legacies, regardless of the toll it takes on their children.

With brilliant writing that exposes the dark side of the Korean education system, this show has managed to become the highest-rated drama in Korean cable TV history, so it's worth your time.

2. Crash Course in Romance (2023)

If you are looking for a lighter take on the subject, you might want to check out this romantic comedy TV series.

Nam Haeng-Seon is the owner of a side dish shop who enters the world of private tutoring and eventually gets involved with Choi Chi-yeol, a top-notch instructor who has become cold and distant despite his massive success in his craft.

3. Master of Study (2010)

Based on the Japanese manga Dragon Zakura, this show revolves around a young lawyer, Kang Suk-ho, who is tasked with liquidating a failing high school.

Unexpectedly, he instead takes charge of a group of troubled students and decides to help them achieve the seemingly impossible goal of getting into the most prestigious college in Korea.

4. Melancholia (2021)

Although this TV series focuses more on how rumors can effectively destroy someone's reputation than on the lives of ordinary students, it still provides a nice insight into Korean society.

Ji Yoon-soo, who works as a math teacher at a prestigious high school, suddenly finds herself embroiled in a scandal after word spreads that she is sexually involved with a student.

5. The Penthouse: War in Life (2020-2021)

While this show focuses primarily on themes of revenge and the lives of wealthy families who live in a luxurious skyscraper, the third season also focuses heavily on young people preparing for college entrance exams.