Yoo Eun-hye: "Adding 2.8 Trillion Won More Can Make Half-Price Tuition Possible"

Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Yoo Eun-hye is attending the government-wide questioning session on education, social, and cultural issues held at the National Assembly on the 24th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, stated that with a secured budget of 2.8 trillion won, the realization of 'half-price tuition' seems feasible.

On the afternoon of the 24th, during a government-wide questioning session on education, social, and cultural fields held at the National Assembly, Deputy Minister Yoo responded to a question from Yoo Ki-hong, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding 'half-price tuition,' saying, "If an additional 2.8 trillion won is added to the current national scholarship budget, I believe half-price tuition can be realized."

Deputy Yoo pointed out, "This year, the average tuition for four-year private universities is 7.48 million won, still ranking fourth highest in the world," and asked, "Last year, when students requested tuition refunds due to COVID-19, a special scholarship of about 100,000 won per person was provided. Do you think this amount was sufficient?"

In response, Deputy Minister Yoo said, "Since each school’s environment and circumstances differ, it is difficult to generalize, but the special scholarship amount of about 100,000 won was an average figure, and I think it was insufficient for students to feel the impact."

Deputy Yoo emphasized the need for policies that enable students to tangibly experience the realization of half-price tuition. He stated, "Currently, 1.04 million students, or 48% of the total, receive national scholarship benefits," and added, "In reality, only 32% of students receive support amounting to half or more of their tuition."

Deputy Minister Yoo responded, "I believe fundamental tuition reduction policies are necessary to alleviate the burden of tuition fees."

Deputy Yoo anticipated that if an additional 2.8 trillion won were added to the existing national scholarship budget, it would lead to increased household income and economic revitalization.

Deputy Minister Yoo said, "Tuition fees still remain a burden for students and parents," and added, "Now, the state’s responsibility for higher education should be further expanded. Considering the public nature of education, I think it is necessary to expand the scope of national scholarships to achieve practical half-price tuition."