Forget the library, the cool kids hit the books at their local study cafe

Seats in Korean university libraries fill up quickly, often making it a struggle for students to find a place to study on campus when exams are around the corner. That’s why many students turn to off-campus study cafes.

Study cafes are the go-to place for young Koreans who are struggling to find a spot in school libraries during exam season. [YONHAP]

Seats in Korean university libraries fill up quickly, often making it a struggle for students to find a place to study on campus when exams are around the corner. That’s why many students turn to off-campus study cafes.

Study cafes are popular with Korean students as they provide a more modern aesthetic with a focus on interior design, a far cry from the partitioned study rooms of the past, known as dokseosil.

Unlike dokseosil, study cafes offer various desks which users can choose for different purposes, such as large tables for group discussions or cubicles to focus on individual work.

Just like an ordinary cafe, study cafe users can order drinks, but chatting is prohibited and usually allowed only in specifically designated areas.

“The appropriate levels of white noise [undisturbing background noise that can help with concentration] and the nice interior are definitely advantages,” says Lim Chae-eun, a junior at Chung-Ang University in Seoul who studies public service, “but the best part of study cafes is the atmosphere. At regular cafes, people chat with their friends and scroll on their phones, but at study cafes, everyone is sitting down and studying, which helps me do my work.”

Seah Kim, a junior at Korea University in Seoul majoring in interdisciplinary studies, is also a frequent user of study cafes, visiting for over five hours a day when preparing for mid-term or final exams.

“I can’t concentrate with the loud and distracting background music of regular cafes, so I prefer quiet study cafes as they provide the optimal environment to focus on my work,” Kim said.

As opposed to ordinary cafes, study cafes also provide a better study environment by providing multiple electrical outlets and strong WiFi. Most study cafes also provide printing machines, blankets, book stands and other items customers may need to help them study.

So-called laptop zones are also a plus for students who need to use laptops for school work, but otherwise might be worried about distracting others with the loud noises from the keyboard.

A feature of study cafes that’s most appealing to students is that they are open around the clock, unlike school libraries that are likely to close on national holidays and most cafes in Korea that are likely to close before midnight.

“It is easier to go to a study cafe near my house than to go to the school library, especially if I’m staying up to study,” said Lim.

Most study cafes are unmanned, with payments made through kiosks. At the payment kiosks, users can choose from hourly options to daily pass, night pass and long-term options like a week pass or a 100-hour pass.

The price differs, but the two-hour option is normally around 4,000 won ($3.20) and a one-day pass is normally around 10,000 won.

For some students, the very fact that study cafes don’t have on-site managers is the biggest drawback of these businesses because complaints can’t be addressed right away.

“I once saw some people who purchased long-term access at the study cafe and then monopolized a popular seat by not checking out even when they weren’t using the seat,” Lim said.

BY STUDENT REPORTER KIM WON [kjd.kcampus@joongang.co.kr]