"Not Going Even for 100 Times the Salary"... Why EBS "Butterfly Effect" Yoon Hyejung Turned Down Private Education

Current Korean Language Teacher Yoon Hyejung Appears on "You Quiz"
"I Never Considered Moving Into Private Education"
"Making Time to Record EBS Lectures"

Yoon Hyejung, a current Korean language teacher and EBS instructor, revealed that she received offers from the private education industry promising "100 times her annual salary," but she declined them.

Yoon Hyejung, a teacher at Kangil High School, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Yoon, who has been an EBS representative star Korean language instructor for 19 consecutive years, appeared on the tvN show "You Quiz on the Block" broadcast on the 28th. When the host, Yoo Jaeseok, asked if she had ever been scouted with an offer worth 100 times her annual salary, she replied, "They offered conditions I could never have imagined, but since I am a school teacher and have no intention of moving into private education, I just said, 'I have absolutely no interest.'"

She added, "Later, I realized the signing bonus they offered was 100 times my annual salary. I did think, 'I turned down something huge.'"

Despite the enormous offer, Yoon said she "wasn't really swayed." She explained, "In 2024, I transferred to Kangil High School. My students were amazed because the person they saw on screen became their homeroom teacher. When they asked, 'Why didn't you go into private education?' I told them, 'I stayed to become your homeroom teacher. Do you think I gave up all that just for you to doze off in class?' That makes them pay close attention during lessons."

Yoon Hyejung, a current Korean language teacher and EBS instructor, appeared on the tvN show "You Quiz on the Block" broadcast on the 28th. You Quiz YouTube

She shared that despite her tight schedule, juggling school classes, administrative work, and EBS lectures, she does her best to prepare for her lectures by making the most of her time. Yoon said, "Most EBS instructors are current teachers. I arrive at school at 7 a.m. to prepare class materials, then teach from the first to the seventh period. Even after regular classes end at 4 p.m., there is still a lot to do, so I squeeze in time to prepare and record lectures."

She continued, "I record EBS lectures two or three times a week, filming four 70-80 minute lectures in a single day. The running time is long, but the preparation time is even longer." She also said, "I'm a mother of two. With so many roles, the only way is to cut down on sleep. I think I only slept on Fridays each week. I live a very intense life."

Now in her 23rd year as a Korean language teacher, Yoon was born in 1980, graduated from Sungkyunkwan University, worked as a private academy instructor, and has been teaching at public schools since 2004. She began EBS lectures in 2007, and her EBS textbook "The Butterfly Effect of Concepts" is considered an essential basic text among exam takers. The total number of students who have taken her courses has reached 2.5 million, and her cumulative video views total 100 million.