"No Waiting for a Month, Same-Day Reservations Available"...Fewer People Are Getting Driver's Licenses

Population Decline Impact... Driving Schools Closing Mainly in Rural Areas
COVID-19 'Brief' Demand Fades... "Same-Day Reservations Available"

"In the past, if you put yourself on the waiting list at a driving academy, you had to wait more than a month, but these days, same-day reservations are possible."

From November to January is the season when high school seniors who have finished the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) rush to 'driving license academies.' However, unlike last year, the inside of the academies is quiet this year. This is because the demand for obtaining a driver's license is decreasing as the population rapidly declines. Accordingly, driving academies are closing down one after another.

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A, who took the CSAT this year, said, "My parents told me, 'If you don't register at the license academy quickly now, you might have to get your license only after entering university,' so I went to register at the license academy the day after the CSAT," adding, "But the academy was quiet inside, and I was able to complete the registration quickly."

Driving license academies are institutions that educate students with the purpose of obtaining a driver's license. Originally, except for some academies that conducted on-site testing, only driving education was provided, and the driving license test had to be taken at government-operated driving test centers. However, in 1995, to resolve the backlog of test takers and to promote specialized driving education, the driving specialized academy system was introduced.

The once crowded driving license test centers have become noticeably quiet as the number of new license holders has decreased. The number of new driver's licenses issued was 1.08 million in 2017, maintained at around 1.07 million during the COVID-19 period from 2019 to 2021, gradually decreasing, and then sharply declined last year. In 2022, the number of new driver's licenses issued was 968,143, a 9.6% decrease compared to 1,071,701 in 2021.

The entire driving license industry is facing difficulties like this. A representative from the National Federation of Automobile Driving Specialized Academies explained, "Two to three academies close every month, mainly in regions where the population is declining."

Driving Academies Closing Mainly in Regions with Declining Population

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With the end of COVID-19, the 'temporary' demand for obtaining a motorbike license to work in delivery services has also decreased.

B, a student at an academy, said, "During COVID-19, if you put yourself on the waiting list at a (driving) academy, you had to wait more than a month," adding, "There were so many people waiting that I gave up registering, but after COVID-19 ended, I registered again, and these days, same-day reservations are possible."

Expensive road training fees also seem to have influenced the closures. According to a 2018 survey by the local automobile driving academy industry, road training fees are set between 44,000 KRW and 49,500 KRW per hour. Training programs operate in basic two-hour units, so users have to bear costs ranging from 88,000 KRW to 99,000 KRW per session.

A police agency official stated, "In the long term, due to population decline, the number of new driver's license holders is expected to decrease further," adding, "Based on the tally up to October this year, the number of new license holders is expected to decrease by about 10% compared to the previous year."