"500,000 Won a Month for Cram School in 12th Grade"... SNU Dentistry Student Reveals the Reality of Private Education in Daechi-dong

[Financial News] A student who completed elementary, middle, and high school in Daechi-dong in Gangnam District, Seoul, and was admitted to the Department of Dentistry at Seoul National University (SNU), has drawn attention by revealing the real scale of private education costs.
In a video posted on the 2nd on the YouTube channel "Studio Sha," which is known to be run by SNU graduates, the student, identified as A, said, "Students in Daechi-dong have tightly packed cram school schedules from elementary through high school." A added that as a senior in high school, "I spent about 4 million to 5 million won a month on cram school fees," which sparked widespread discussion.
Describing the elementary and middle school years, A explained, "About four days a week, I went to cram schools for Korean, English, math, and science (physics and chemistry). In the gaps between those classes, I took arts and sports lessons such as swimming, basketball, and boxing to make use of my time."
To maintain strong school grades, A said, "After regular school classes ended, I attended cram school lectures until 10 p.m., then studied on my own at a study room until 4 a.m., and woke up at 7 a.m." A confessed, "During that process, I often suffered from lack of sleep." A went on to say that in 12th grade, to align the body clock with the schedule of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), "I went to bed at 11:30 p.m. and woke up at 5:30 a.m., and I spent about 40 hours a week at cram schools in total."
A said that the approach to private education was not simply to increase the amount, but to build a detailed strategy tailored to specific goals. "My goal was to finish the grammar and basic concepts in Korean, English, and math at the high school level by the end of 9th grade," A stated. "For math, I took several lectures at the same time, choosing by each instructor’s theme, such as 'advanced problem solving' or 'solidifying upper-middle-level skills.' In 12th grade, I sometimes attended a total of nine different cram schools, one or two for each subject."
Up through 11th grade, while preparing for school grades, A attended cram schools for Korean, math, English, science, and Japanese. A explained that, including study room fees, textbook costs, and online lecture fees, about 4 million won a month was spent on private education. Within that, A took three different math lectures, and for science, studied physics, chemistry, and biology separately.

During the so-called "final preparation period," about two months before the CSAT, A increased the number of Korean lectures to two. As textbook purchases and online lecture fees rose, monthly spending exceeded 5 million won.
A added, "If you spend a year retaking the CSAT, it can even cost 50 million won a year," and remarked, "When you retake the exam, earning a scholarship is at least a 'halfway' form of filial duty."


hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter