Hyun Woo-jin's Income Estimated Over 20 Billion KRW
History Lecturer Ida-ji Shows Off Luxury House
Top Instructor Expresses Dissatisfaction → Public Reacts Coldly
President Yoon Suk-yeol stated that "questions outside the scope of the curriculum should be excluded" in relation to the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), prompting so-called 'Ilta-gangsa'?top private tutors representing private education for college entrance?to express dissatisfaction. However, these tutors are instead facing public backlash.
Hyun Woo-jin, a CSAT math instructor affiliated with MegaStudy, posted on his social media on the 17th, saying, "Only the students are pitiful. How are they supposed to handle the September (mock exam) and the CSAT?" He attached an article stating that the president criticized the public education CSAT policy for not being implemented in the June mock exam.
Hyun added to students, "As I always say, the June and September (mock exams) and the CSAT are conducted independently, so from now on, it’s impossible to predict what, how, or at what difficulty level questions will be asked. You have no choice but to prepare for all scenarios. Be sure to thoroughly study and solve EBS materials." He continued, "Critical thinking is important, but at least for the exam, please open your mind with a non-critical thinking approach that anything can appear."
Hyun, who graduated from the Department of Mathematics at Stanford University in the United States and currently teaches math at MegaStudy, is estimated to earn over 20 billion KRW. He revealed in 2017 that his income tax was 13 billion KRW.
Notably, in 2017, Hyun attracted attention by purchasing the pre-sale rights to 'PH129,' then the most expensive apartment in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for 25 billion KRW without a loan. In 2018, he also bought a building in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, worth approximately 32 billion KRW, again without a loan.
He was also spotted wearing a watch worth over 100 million KRW during classes, which became a hot topic. The watch he wore at the time was from a Swiss luxury brand with a retail price of about 135 million KRW. It is currently known to exceed 300 million KRW in the resale market. Additionally, Hyun posted photos on social media showing that he purchased expensive artworks. The price of the four pieces he bought totals 10.85 billion KRW.
Hyun Woo-jin boasted on SNS about purchasing expensive artworks. The price of the four pieces he bought amounts to 10.85 billion won. [Photo by Hyun Woo-jin SNS]
History instructor Lee Daji, known as the 'History President,' also faced public criticism.
On the 17th, Lee expressed concerns about President Yoon’s remarks through his social media, saying, "Teaching varies greatly from school to school and teacher to teacher, and some subjects are not even offered, yet the message is to 'make the CSAT only cover what is taught in schools'... The September mock exam and the CSAT are even more uncertain."
Following this, Lee’s official YouTube channel, Instagram, and other social media platforms were flooded with critical comments from some netizens. During this process, Lee’s 'luxurious lifestyle' unexpectedly drew attention.
Previously, Lee attracted attention by posting photos taken at 'Signiel Residence,' the premium residential facility in Lotte World Tower, on social media. The sale price of Signiel Residence ranges from 4 billion to 25 billion KRW.
Those who claim to be top private tutors and earn enormous profits are receiving a somewhat cold public response when they criticize education policies. Regardless of the correctness of government policy directions, there is criticism about whether it is appropriate for those who have earned huge profits every year in an abnormal education environment centered on private education to step forward and criticize policies. Online communities have seen negative reactions such as "Are they afraid of losing their livelihood?" and "Are they criticizing because they can’t live a luxurious life?"
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