School uniform shirts cost as much as 178,000 won? Suit-style uniforms that students rarely wear are weighing on families

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It was found that six out of 10 middle and high schools that had introduced casual-style uniforms also operate suit-style uniforms. The average winning bid for suit-style uniforms was 265,753 won, 112,876 won higher than casual-style uniforms, and the number of uniform items varied from as few as one to as many as 16 depending on the school.
The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea announced the findings on the 9th meeting of the Task Force of Related Ministers for Special Management of Consumer Prices, held on the 21st at Government Complex Seoul, as part of the results and future plans for the 2025 School Uniform Cost Survey. The survey was conducted in response to criticism over high uniform prices and covered 5,687 middle and high schools nationwide.
The survey showed that 95.6% of middle and high schools nationwide require uniforms. Of the schools surveyed, 5,437 had students wearing uniforms. Among schools with uniforms, 96.3% operated a school-led purchasing system, in which the school selects the vendor and students and parents buy uniforms through a group-purchase arrangement.
However, the system has shown limits in reducing the cost burden. A total of 3,288 schools, or 60.5% of the total, operated both suit-style and casual-style uniforms. This means that in many schools, casual-style uniforms were added to existing uniforms rather than replacing them.
Suit-style uniforms were more expensive and included more items than casual-style uniforms. The average number of items for suit-style uniforms was five, compared with three for casual-style uniforms. The average winning bid for casual-style uniforms was 152,877 won, while suit-style uniforms averaged 265,753 won.
Price differences by item were also significant. A suit-style winter shirt ranged from 10,000 won to 178,000 won, meaning the highest price was 17.8 times the lowest. The average price was 43,460 won. Suit-style winter pants ranged from 20,000 won to 99,000 won, a difference of 79,000 won, and the average price was 64,328 won.
Even at schools where uniforms are required, the actual cost for parents can vary depending on which items are designated as mandatory or recommended. The share of the four major brands among winning uniform vendors stood at 67.8%.
spring@fnnews.com Lee Bo-mi Reporter