Jaesusaeng
Jaesusaeng is a Korean term for graduated high school students who decide to spend a year studying to re-take the College Scholastic Ability Test, hoping to get a higher score and enter the university of their choice. Attending university has a major impact on their future careers. The equivalent term in Japan is rōnin.
Social context
Gaining entrance to the extremely competitive and prestigious SKY universities in Seoul requires that some students become jaesusaeng after an initial less-than-stellar performance on the national exam. Korea is "prepossessed by social status and reputation," and a SKY education is the main way to gain social status.Generally, the public education system is not enough to prepare students for the exam, so most students attend after school lessons at various hagwon. The fierce competition for enrollment at prestigious universities is called "entrance exam war".