[Report] "Only Ten Days Left Until Suneung, But We Can't Not Send Them to Hagwon" Daechi-dong High School Cluster Infection Leaves 3rd Year Students and Parents Anxious

11 Students Infected in Group at High School in Gangnam-gu, Seoul... Red Alert for Nearby Academy District's Quarantine
Average of 349.6 Student Cases Per Day from Last Month 28 to This Month 3
Health Authorities Implement Special Quarantine for Entrance Exam Academies Ahead of CSAT

On the afternoon of the 8th, academy signs are lined up on buildings in the academy district of Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Hyunju Park phj0325@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] "The CSAT is just around the corner, but I can't not send my child to the academy...", "The whole family is being cautious"

With just ten days left until the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) on the 18th, a quarantine alert has been issued in the academy district of Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This is due to a COVID-19 cluster infection at a nearby high school. Daechi-dong is densely packed with entrance exam academies, causing parents to be deeply worried.

According to Gangnam-gu Office on the 7th, a total of 11 students tested positive at High School A, including one first-year and ten second-year students. All ten second-year students who tested positive are reportedly from the same class. Fortunately, third-year students preparing for this year's CSAT have not been attending school, and first-year students are taking online classes instead of attending in person, so the spread of infection has not been significant.

Health authorities are on high alert to see if additional cases emerge in the school and nearby academy district. Gangnam-gu Office has instructed all first- and second-year students to undergo COVID-19 testing and is expanding investigations to include academy users who visited places where confirmed cases were present.

◆ Classes at academies continue as usual... Parents anxiously worried about infections

On the afternoon of the 8th, the front gate of High School A was quiet. Although it was lunchtime, no students were seen in the playground beyond the gate. A school official hinted, "Currently, no students from any grade are attending school."

Parents' worries are considerable. Since Daechi-dong is densely packed with entrance exam academies near High School A, there is a heightened concern that children preparing for the CSAT might get infected. Mr. A (in his 50s), who has a son in the third grade attending a nearby school, said, "Although the whole family has been vaccinated, we are all being cautious just in case it affects university admissions. We rarely go to restaurants." Holding a bag of takeout bread, he hurried home.

Ms. B (49), who has a second-year child, said, "I wish the phased return to normal life (with COVID-19) had started after the CSAT. This is a life-changing issue for the kids, so I wonder if next year will be better..." trailing off.

Around 12 PM on the 8th, the quiet main gate of A High School. A High School students are currently attending online classes instead of going to school. Photo by Hyunju Park phj0325@

On the other hand, students generally showed indifferent reactions.

Yoon (16), a first-year student at High School A, was unaware that there were confirmed cases within his grade. He said, "We've been having Zoom classes continuously. Since we don't attend school, I don't really know."

Shin (16), who attends an academy nearby, said, "There were confirmed cases, but the academy (in-person) classes are continuing." He added, "There are no special measures. The academy is continuing disinfection as usual."

Unlike the quiet school front, the Daechi-dong academy district was bustling with students. At lunchtime, restaurants and convenience stores in the academy area were filled with groups of students eating together. Although restaurants were taking precautions such as keeping visitor logs and installing partitions at tables, the indoor spaces with heaters running during winter were generally poorly ventilated.

C (19), a student retaking the CSAT who came out for lunch, said, "I'm worried about COVID-19 infection, so I use a separate single room at the study cafe."

A Building back gate has a notice indicating restricted access. Photo by Hyunju Park phj0325@

When asked at a convenience store in front of an apartment gate if she was worried about getting infected at the academy, Kim (17) replied, "I think it's fine if we wear masks properly. Isn't the with-COVID-19 policy already started?" Kim said, "I have to get back to online classes by 1:10 PM," as she packed up her cup noodles and left. All four tables inside the convenience store were occupied by students eating.

Meanwhile, student confirmed cases are rapidly increasing. According to the Ministry of Education on the 4th, from the 28th of last month to the 3rd of this month, a total of 2,447 kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school students nationwide tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week, averaging 349.6 cases per day. This is the highest weekly daily average of student cases since COVID-19 first appeared in Korea last year.

The Ministry of Education and Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plan to conduct quarantine inspections targeting entrance exam academies in Daechi-dong and other areas expected to have dense concentrations of test-takers until the 17th, the special quarantine period for the CSAT.