In South Korea, the pressure to succeed has turned after-school tutoring into a national obsession.
In short: For-profit private academies known as hagwons are a cornerstone of South Korean life, attended by nearly 80% of students. While they promise a competitive edge in the high-stakes college entrance exam, they also drive extreme financial burdens, sleep deprivation, and a real estate premium in elite neighborhoods.
Hagwons are private, for-profit educational institutions that function as a shadow system to South Korea's public schools. Their prevalence is tied to the country's intense academic competitiveness, where the College Scholastic Ability Test acts as a gatekeeper for top universities and future career paths. By 2022, approximately 78.3% of grade school students attended at least one hagwon, spending an average of 7.2 hours there each week. This culture starts early; most children begin attending by age five, with some starting as young as two.
The economic impact of this system is profound. In 2022, South Koreans spent 26 trillion won—roughly 22.73 billion US dollars—on private education. For low-income households with children aged 13 to 18, monthly spending on these academies can rival their expenditure on food. This financial strain is exacerbated by the geographic concentration of elite hagwons in areas like Daechi-dong, Seoul, which has driven local real estate prices to 300 percent of those in comparable districts. This creates a cycle where access to top-tier instruction is increasingly linked to parental wealth.
The government has repeatedly attempted to regulate the sector to curb costs and protect student health, including implementing curfews and banning teachers from leaking test questions to private centers. However, these measures often face resistance or are circumvented by academies adding weekend classes. Critics argue that the system exacerbates educational inequality and contributes to severe mental health pressures, with South Korea reporting the highest suicide rate among OECD countries in 2017. Despite these concerns, the demand remains high, as families view these institutions as essential for navigating a society where academic success is seen as the primary path to social mobility.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Hagwon
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