They take bullying in South Korea to the extreme and kids even kill themselves because of it so it really is about survival out there
It is that serious. That's the point, for now.
It is because they are in korea, in korea bullying has different levels (which are chosen by court) including things like harrasment towards family, murder, rape, blackmail.
They are way stricter with even little things like the way you walk, if you move too much, where you live. Like there is a “curseword” for people leaving in low class flats, the bullying got so bad that they removed the flat names (so they can’t refer to it when bullying) so the new trend if vullying is kids who never go to other countries
School is whole different culture in Korea.
Not to mention there's this whole thing about "face", where you have to present yourself in a way that doesn't ruin your parents reputation.
The ranks in the school makes everything competitive because there's a lot of pressure to do well and get into college otherwise you'll be seen as a failure
I mean at that age where school is your ecosystem/world, esp. W/ korean culture, it does matter. Adding onto the other replies, classroom politics can heavily impact your mental later in life. Those are your formative years, and whatever happens can majorly impact your personality and way of thinking
They're out here saying "survive" like its a warzone or some shit, No way it's THAT serious. Is this what happens at a boys only school or something