This, of course, is nothing new in Korea’s history where classism and social stratification have always played a profound role throughout. In South Korea, the competition to get into its top colleges makes the competition in the U.S. look like a child’s play. The competition is brutal because the select top colleges are seen as their only gateway to higher social mobility. There’s a predominance of culturally shaped “tribalism” where the wealthy and the powerful play favoritism through socio-economic and political connections. Their elite corporations and top politicians are largely made up of the graduates of Seoul National University, its undisputed top university. They groom their own kind up the social mobility. Korea is also extremely “brand” conscious nation, and SNU is certainly its top academic brand for which the wealthy and the powerful will get their hands on one way or another. The reason why the aforementioned drama, Sky Castle, became a smashing hit with the people of South Korea is because they can really relate to the chasm between the “gold spoon” fed and the “dirt spoon” fed.