Large Private Academies Cluster Along Subway and Bus Lines, Drawing in Students [New Transport Refugee Report] ⑨

The Future of Seoul - The Future of Transportation
Development of Public Transit Drives Academy Concentration
Industry: "Check Subway Lines Before Building an Academy"
Lack of Transportation Networks in Regional Areas Limits Educational Opportunities

Editor's NoteWhile Seoul ranks 16th in the world for transportation accessibility, the city also faces significant disparities in access to transportation convenience. The rapid expansion of transportation networks has aimed for regional balance, but has instead resulted in overcrowding in some areas and blind spots in others. Over the 75-year history of public transportation, we have now entered an era where artificial intelligence (AI) traffic systems are being established, yet the transportation poor have not disappeared. Transportation gaps lead to imbalances in quality of life. Asia Economy has examined the reality of these disparities and sought possible solutions.

The concentration of transportation resources in the Seoul metropolitan area has created gaps in various essential services such as jobs, healthcare, and culture. In particular, "education" is closely linked to the phenomenon of transportation centralization. An analysis by Asia Economy of the number of private academies (hagwons), bus stops, and inflow population data in Seoul found that one-quarter of all private academies in the city are concentrated in Gangnam and Seocho districts, and these areas also recorded overwhelming figures in terms of population movement and transportation infrastructure among Seoul's 25 districts. This finding is noteworthy because it demonstrates that transportation disparities are evident not only in the concentration of private education in the so-called Gangnam 8 School District, but also in the broader field of education itself.

Daechidong Academy District.

Academies, Bus Stops, and Population Movement Concentrated in the 8 School District

On July 21, Asia Economy analyzed the number of private academies in Seoul by school district, using data from Jongno Academy and as of January this year. According to the analysis, of the total 14,795 academies, 3,868 (26.1%) were concentrated in Gangnam and Seocho districts (the 8 School District), accounting for one-quarter of all academies. This number is even higher than the combined total of the five school districts with the fewest academies (3,538). Following the 8 School District, Gangdong and Songpa (6 School District, 1,870 academies), Gangseo and Yangcheon (7 School District), and Mapo, Seodaemun, and Eunpyeong (2 School District) had the next highest numbers of academies.

Why are academies in Seoul so heavily concentrated in the 2, 6, 7, and 8 School Districts? Admissions experts analyze that there is a tendency for more academies to be established where transportation is well developed. As academies have grown larger, they have drawn in students from neighboring areas, and the development of public transportation has further fueled this concentration. Looking at the subway maps of these districts, most have four subway lines intersecting. In addition, the number of bus stops in Seoul is also concentrated in these areas. As of September last year, there were 6,640 bus stops in Seoul. Of these, Gangnam and Seocho (the 8 School District), which have the most academies, had 749 bus stops, while Gangdong and Songpa (741) and Mapo, Seodaemun, and Eunpyeong (786) also had more than 700 bus stops each. Subways and buses in these districts constantly transport people from neighboring regions.

Academy Centers Shifted: Mia-ri → Noryangjin → Daechidong

As a result, it has become an established rule in the academy industry that "you must check the subway lines before building a new academy." Convenient transportation improves academy accessibility and increases the number of students. The large-scale expansion of academies began with the development of Subway Line 1. When Line 1, connecting nine stations from Seoul Station to Cheongnyangni Station, opened in 1974, and trains were soon extended to Suwon, Incheon, and Seongbuk, the saying "build academies along Line 1" emerged. In 1975, Daesung Academy, a famous cram school, moved to Noryangjin, prompting other academies to gather there, and the Noryangjin academy district grew to accommodate the influx of students brought by Line 1. Later, as Gangnam was developed and the subway and road networks expanded, the center of academy locations naturally shifted to this area.

An admissions industry official said, "Thirty to forty years ago, the largest academy was in Mia-ri (now Gireum-dong), attracting many students, but the landscape changed with the development of Gangnam and transportation," adding, "The private education market has been greatly influenced by transportation development."

Daechi and Junggye-dong: Influx Concentrated at 5-6 PM

Recently, with subway extensions and the opening of the Suseo High-Speed Railway (SRT), the number of students traveling from the outskirts of Seoul to the Daechidong academy district in Gangnam has increased significantly. Daechidong alone is home to about 1,270 academies, nearly half of Gangnam-gu's total of 2,639. This is twelve times the number of academies in Jung-gu, which has the fewest (105).

Looking at the inflow and outflow population data for Daechi 1-dong and Daechi 4-dong, where academies are concentrated, we can see specifically which regions are sending students into these areas.

In the case of Daechi 4-dong, about 3.36 million people (3,366,300 inflow, 3,362,200 outflow) moved in and out in May. While most movement occurred from nearby areas such as Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu, there was also active inflow from Gyeonggi Province, including Hanam (31,586), Sujeong-gu in Seongnam (34,210), Gwangju (19,778), Giheung-gu in Yongin (21,037), and Namyangju (26,508).

The same is true for Junggye-dong in Nowon-gu, one of Seoul's three major academy districts (Daechidong, Mokdong, Junggye-dong). In May alone, about 1.1 million people (1,100,073 inflow, 1,101,843 outflow) moved in and out of Junggye 1-dong, the academy-dense area. In addition to neighboring Dobong-gu, Jongno-gu, and Jungnang-gu, there was also inflow from Guri (8,028), Uijeongbu (32,099), Namyangju (38,926), Yangju (9,749), and Pocheon (5,819).

What stands out is the time of inflow. In most other areas, the inflow of people peaks at 8 AM, but here, the peak inflow occurs at 5 PM. Daechi 1-dong also saw the highest inflow at 6 PM. This is interpreted as students moving to academies after finishing school. A director of a cram school in Junggye-dong said, "Students flock here from nearby Namyangju, Uijeongbu, and Dobong-gu," adding, "As transportation accessibility has improved, large-scale lectures have increased, drawing in students from surrounding areas."

Transportation Disadvantage Leads to Academy Concentration and Population Outflow

Unlike Gangnam, where transportation is concentrated, regions outside Seoul struggle to secure educational opportunities due to a lack of transportation networks. Many families choose educational migration because there are no suitable academies in their area. Mr. Kang (50), who has a child in the second year of high school in Geoje, sent his child to Daechidong during last winter vacation. Kang said, "Rather than spending an hour traveling to academies within the same region, it's better to rent an officetel near a Seoul academy, reduce travel time, and focus on studying." Such transportation and educational disadvantages in regional areas can accelerate population outflow. As of 2022, it was found that in 43 high schools in Gangwon and Jeonbuk, it was impossible for a student to achieve the top grade. Under the 9-grade system, at least 13 students are needed for someone to receive a 1st grade (top 4%), but these schools had fewer than 13 students. Park Kyunga, a senior research fellow at the Korea Transport Institute, said, "Because people and jobs are caught in a vicious cycle of re-concentrating in the metropolitan area in search of quality services, balanced resource allocation is necessary," adding, "It is essential to diagnose the polarization of transportation services through multi-layered analysis."