Hagwon: Inside Korea's Private Academy Phenomenon
Hagwon, the ubiquitous private academies in South Korea, shape the daily lives of millions of students. A deep dive into a parallel education system, between excellence and excess.
La rédaction Kotoba
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It's 10 PM in the Daechi-dong neighborhood of Gangnam. The streets still swarm with teenagers in uniform, backpacks stuffed with textbooks, streaming out of brightly lit buildings. These aren't ordinary schools: they're , the private academies that rhythm the lives of millions of young Koreans.
In South Korea, school doesn't end when the bell rings at 4 PM. It continues in these private institutes where students prepare for exams, deepen their knowledge, and above all try to gain an edge over their peers. Hagwon are the other face of Korean education: a parallel system, often more influential than school itself.
What Is a Hagwon?#
The word literally means "learning institute." These private establishments offer supplementary classes in almost every field: exam preparation, foreign languages (especially English), mathematics, sciences, but also music, art, sports, and even skills like coding or public speaking.
There are over 70,000 hagwon in South Korea, representing a market estimated at more than 20 billion dollars per year. In the Daechi-dong neighborhood, nicknamed the "Mecca of hagwon," hundreds of academies concentrate within a few streets, attracting students from across the Seoul metropolitan area.
The character 학 (hak) means "study" or "learning," and 원 (won) means "establishment" or "garden." A hagwon is thus a "garden of study." The term 학원가 (hagwon-ga) is sometimes used to describe a neighborhood with many academies.
A Typical Student's Day#
To understand the grip of hagwon, follow a typical Korean high schooler's day:
- 7:30 AM - 4 PM: regular school
- 4:30 PM - 6 PM: first hagwon (mathematics)
- 6:30 PM - 8 PM: second hagwon (English)
- 8:30 PM - 10 PM: third hagwon (Korean or sciences)
- 10:30 PM - midnight: personal studying at home or in a study hall (dokseosil)
This frantic pace isn't the exception but the norm. According to surveys, more than 70% of Korean students attend at least one hagwon, and this figure rises to nearly 90% in affluent Seoul neighborhoods. The average family expenditure on private tutoring represents a significant portion of their budget.
In 2011, the Korean government instituted a hagwon curfew prohibiting classes after 10 PM. Inspectors patrol to verify that academies close. Despite this, some hagwon circumvent the rule by offering "supervised study sessions" rather than formal classes.
Why Do Hagwon Dominate?#
Several factors explain this omnipresence:
Competition for the Suneung. With the university entrance exam being so decisive, families invest massively to give their children an advantage. The best hagwon teachers, veritable stars, are paid better than public school teachers and attract students.
Social prestige. Not sending your child to hagwon is almost perceived as a form of parental neglect in certain circles. Social pressure pushes families to follow the trend, even reluctantly.
Public school limitations. Overcrowded classrooms and a standardized curriculum don't always allow for personalized attention. Hagwon offer small-group classes, targeted review, and exam-focused pedagogy.
Star Teachers: Millionaire Instructors#
The phenomenon illustrates the market's scale. These celebrity teachers, often from top hagwon or online course platforms, sometimes earn millions of dollars per year. Their fame extends beyond education: they have fans, appear on television, and their classes are followed by tens of thousands of students simultaneously.
The most famous, Cha Kil-yong, a Suneung preparation specialist, reportedly earned up to 8 million dollars in a single year through online and in-person courses. These teachers develop their own methods, mnemonic devices, and exam tricks that become cult classics among students.
Read alsoSuneung: The Day When Korea Holds Its BreathThe Suneung, the university entrance exam, is the raison d'être of most hagwon. Discover how this single November day shapes all of Korean society.
The Price of Performance#
The omnipresence of hagwon comes at a cost, both financial and human.
The financial cost is massive. Korean families spend an average of 10-15% of their income on private tutoring. In neighborhoods like Gangnam, this figure can double. This expense deepens inequalities: children from modest families, without access to the best hagwon, start at a structural disadvantage.
The human cost is equally heavy. Teenagers average less than six hours of sleep per night, accumulating stress and fatigue. Depression and anxiety rates among Korean youth are among the highest in the OECD. The popular phrase "four hours of sleep, you pass; five hours, you fail" summarizes a deadly philosophy.
Attempts at Reform#
Faced with these excesses, successive governments have tried to act:
- The 10 PM curfew for hagwon (2011)
- Bans on excessive homework assigned by academies
- Promotion of diverse extracurricular activities
- Suneung reforms to diversify admission criteria
But effectiveness remains limited. As long as Korean society values SKY diplomas as the ultimate key, as long as chaebols recruit based on university prestige, demand for hagwon will persist. Some parents circumvent the rules by sending their children to hagwon abroad or hiring private tutors at home.
Beyond Exams: Leisure Hagwon#
Not all hagwon are dedicated to exam preparation. There are academies for taekwondo, piano, drawing, robotics, K-pop dance, and much more. These leisure hagwon (yehneung hagwon, 예능학원) offer a breather in an overloaded schedule, even if they sometimes add another layer of pressure to excel.
For preschool-age children, English hagwon (yeong-eo hagwon) are particularly popular, reflecting the Korean obsession with English mastery as a key to international success.
Hagwon are a mirror of a society that deeply believes in the power of education, but struggles to find the balance between excellence and well-being. Understanding hagwon means understanding the hopes, anxieties, and contradictions of contemporary Korea.
FAQ#
What is a hagwon? A hagwon (학원) is a Korean private academy offering supplementary classes outside of school: exam preparation, languages, arts, sports, etc. Over 70,000 hagwon exist in South Korea.
Why do Korean students go to hagwon? The intense competition for admission to good universities (via the Suneung) pushes families to invest in supplementary classes to give their children an advantage.
How much does a hagwon cost? Fees range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month depending on the subject, the academy's reputation, and the student's level. On average, families spend 10-15% of their income on private tutoring.
Is there a curfew for hagwon? Yes, since 2011, hagwon must close before 10 PM. Inspectors verify compliance with this rule, but workarounds exist.
Photo credits: images used in this article are from Pexels and Unsplash and are royalty-free.
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