"Local Students Take Weekend Flights to Seoul for Academy Study Abroad" [New Transportation Refugee Report] ⑩

Railway Network Stretching Toward the Capital Region
Local Students Drawn In Like a Black Hole
Lack of Transportation and Other Infrastructure
Attracting Famous Instructors Is Nearly Impossible
Student Outflow Leaves Local Academies on the Brink of Collapse

"Local private academies are on the verge of collapse."

Lee Yuwon, chairman of the Korean Studies Association Federation, stated, "As transportation infrastructure has developed with a focus on the Seoul metropolitan area, educational inequality has intensified," adding, "Excellence-oriented private education targeting top students has become concentrated in the metropolitan region."

Lee Yuwon, chairman of the Korean Studies Association Federation, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the association office in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

In a recent interview at his office in Bomun-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Lee said, "The educational environment in local areas has reached a critical level due to the declining number of students." While he acknowledged that not all the blame can be placed solely on transportation, he explained that the railway network extending toward the metropolitan area has, in effect, drawn local students into a black hole. Conversely, attracting talented instructors to local areas is nearly impossible. He noted, "Even if we offer 10 to 20% higher salaries, including transportation and accommodation allowances, no one wants to come to local areas where transportation and other infrastructure are lacking," and added, "Since students tend to choose academies based on the instructors, this leads to a vicious cycle of student outflow from local areas."

Lee pointed out, "In local regions, large entrance exam academies have disappeared first from areas farthest from Seoul in terms of transportation," and added, "In Gyeonggi Province, except for new towns like Bundang, Suwon, and Dongtan where transportation networks have been established, the remaining areas have outdated transportation, and the private education market is collapsing accordingly." This is because students take the KTX or SRT to attend large academies in Gangnam.

There have even been cases where students fly from Jeju to Seoul every weekend to attend art entrance exam academies. Lee said, "At a large academy in Junggye-dong, weekend class students usually account for about 10% of the total, but over the past two years, this has increased to 20-25%." As entrance exam competition intensifies, the trend of "studying abroad at Seoul academies" is becoming more prevalent. These students arrive in Seoul at dawn on Saturday, attend all classes offered in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and after attending Sunday afternoon classes, return home on an evening flight.

Lee Yuwon, president of the Korean Studies Association Federation, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the association office in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

In local areas, it is difficult to achieve high grades in school records, so taking the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is more advantageous for university admission. Under the five-grade school record system, up to 10% of all students can receive a first-grade rating, but the fewer the students, the harder it is to obtain this grade. According to Asia Economy's investigation, there are 1,703 schools nationwide with fewer than 100 first-year high school students, and 86% of these are located in local regions. Experts in the entrance exam industry advise that students in these areas should focus on preparing for the CSAT. However, ironically, local areas have developed small academies focused on school records, while large-scale entrance exam academies capable of offering major lectures are concentrated in the metropolitan area.

Lee said, "Local areas that need to prepare for the CSAT actually lack the infrastructure to support regular admissions," and added, "There needs to be a plan to expand both transportation and educational infrastructure."