Increase in Detection Cases Compared to Pre-COVID-19 Period
More High Schools Operating Night Self-Study Sessions
As the COVID-19 pandemic gradually subsides and the pace of returning to daily life accelerates, illegal late-night tutoring in the academy districts, which had been quiet, has resurfaced.
According to data received on the 25th from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education by Park Gang-san, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party of Korea), the number of late-night tutoring violations at subject tutoring academies in Seoul last year totaled 145 cases, 3.5 times higher than the previous year (41 cases). This figure is even higher than that of 2019 (125 cases), before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Academies and tutoring centers in Seoul are required to operate until 10 p.m., and if caught conducting late-night tutoring, they receive penalty points depending on the violation time.
The number of late-night tutoring violations remained above 100 cases until 2019 but decreased temporarily as social distancing measures were strengthened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, 49 cases were detected, and in 2021, 41 cases. Social distancing guidelines such as spaced seating were maintained in academies from 2020 until they were lifted in April 2022.
By region, the highest number of illegal late-night tutoring violations were found in Gangseo-gu and Yangcheon-gu, with 42 cases, and Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu, with 53 cases, which are areas densely populated with academies.
An industry insider said, “With regulations lifted and the repeated trend of difficult college entrance exams after the integration of humanities and sciences in the CSAT, competition among academies has been affected,” adding, “Although tuition fees are fixed, it seems they conduct extra classes to attract more students.”
Meanwhile, the operation of voluntary night study sessions in high schools has also increased compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the “Status of Voluntary Night Study Operation in Seoul High Schools” data received by Councilor Park from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, as of March 2019 before the pandemic, 246 out of 320 schools (76.9%) operated voluntary night study sessions, while during the period of strengthened social distancing in 2021, the number was 188 schools.
However, in 2023, as the COVID-19 pandemic waned, 264 out of 321 schools (82.2%) operated voluntary night study sessions, an increase of 18 schools.
Councilor Park stated, “In an era where private education expenses reach 26 trillion won, it seems urgent to establish institutional reviews and measures that fit the current reality to uphold the hegemony of proper education.”
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