Tag: cram school

cram school

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Move over med schools: Semiconductor majors are cram schools' new focus

Cram school programs have added industry classes and activities to help students apply for joint employment-linked majors from top Korean universities and Samsung, SK hynix.

2026.6.30

A banner hangs at an English kindergarten in Songpa District, southern Seoul on April 1. [YONHAP]

Why 'English kindergartens' remain popular in Korea despite rising costs and government crackdowns

English kindergartens in Korea, costing around $880 monthly, aim to prepare children for future education despite government concerns over academic pressure. Many parents opt for them for bilingual advantages.

2026.4.14

Most popular

People walk on a street in Daechi-dong, a neighborhood dense with private education institutes in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Dec. 4, 2025. [YONHAP]

Students need resting spaces in overheated private academy districts. Parents are turning to campers.

A camper van parked along a curb in Daechi-dong, a neighborhood in southern Seoul known for its dense concentration of private academies, has ignited debate among parents about the rising costs and pressures of private education.

2026.1.27

A street filled with hagwons, or private cram schools, in Dogok-dong in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Not marts or restaurants: Where gov't vouchers boosted sales the most

Government’s consumer coupons drove the biggest spending surge in hagwon, or private cram schools, as families seek to cut fixed costs amid inflationary pressure.

2025.8.14

Students leave cram schools in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, an area in southern Seoul known for its high concentration of private cram schools, at around 10 p.m. in June. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Cram or crime? Demand for illegal late-night hagwon classes persists despite gov't crackdowns

Teaching beyond the legally permitted hours is a common practice in Daechi-dong in Seoul’s posh Gangnam District — an area known for its dense concentration of private cram schools — said a social studies teacher who works there.

2024.8.23

College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) question no. 23 from the English section for the academic year 2023 (left) and mock exam question provided by famous lecturer at major cram school (right) [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Oddly similar test questions spark suspicions over CSAT

Police are investigating how it came to be that the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) contained almost the same English passage used in a private cram school’s mock test.

2024.1.8

The CSAT difficulty dilemma

The CSAT has grown too distant from its original goal.

2023.12.13

MegaStudy headquarters in Seocho District, southern Seoul [YONHAP]

Crackdown on false advertising leaves cram schools perplexed

After the governmental crackdown, the private education industry argues that exaggerating the qualifications of instructors and textbook authors and inflating the number of students admitted to top colleges has been tolerated until now.

2023.12.12

Killing ‘killer questions’ kills students again (KOR)

A difficult CSAT can only deepen reliance on private education.

2023.12.12

Killing ‘killer questions’ kills students again