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29 reaDers’ ChoICe aWarD Cover story of the Year Winner “Korea’s dying students” by Deva Lee and Matthew Lamers (September) A story that leaves a lasting impression on a reader is one that is relatable while also thought-provoking. The year covered several in-depth issues: foreign entrepre- neurship, the failing EFL education system, discriminatory AIDS testing policies and the oft-shady migrant marriage brokering business, to name a few. We asked readers to vote for their favorite, and the result did not come to our surprise. With some 75 percent of our readers working with stu- dents on a daily basis, issues about the pressures on chil- dren in Korea strike a certain chord, especially when the stress that students face leads them to make irreversible decisions. Korea’s teen suicide rate is high enough to be considered an epidemic, and two writers sought to un- derstand and reveal why children as young as elementary school keep killing themselves. More than six months of research, interviews, writing and rewriting went into uncovering a subject that seems to be often brushed under the rug. Groove Korea proud- ly recognizes “Korea’s dying students” by Deva Lee and Matthew Lamers as the Readers’ Choice Award for Cover Story of the Year.