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.

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]

It's past midnight, but the lights of cram schools in the greater Seoul area are still on, undeterred by legal restrictions and government crackdowns.

“I had to teach one to two extra hours after finishing my class at 10 p.m.,” said an instructor at a math cram school in Bundang, Gyeonggi, explaining that the demand from the students’ parents drove him to work until nearly midnight.

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.

“Many students attend cram schools where they continue to take tests until they reach their target scores,” said the social studies teacher. “Although it’s labeled as ‘independent study,’ instructors stay until 2 a.m. to supervise them.”

The number of private cram schools, or hagwon, caught violating regulated teaching hours jumped to 174 last year, an over threefold increase from 49 cases in 2020, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

By the end of July this year, 59 cases had already been reported. Of these, 52 cram schools were fined, and seven faced temporary suspensions.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education reported 152 cases in 2023, a fourfold increase from 38 cases in 2020. So far this year, 102 cram schools in the area have been caught violating the rules.

“If a cram school is caught twice within a year, it faces a seven-day suspension. If caught three times, its academy registration is revoked,” said an official from the office.

A traffic manager supervise traffic in crowded Daechi-dong, Gangnam District in southern Seoul, at around 10 p.m. in June. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Since 2008, laws have limited cram schools from operating beyond certain nighttime hours in an effort to reduce nationwide private education expenses and ensure that students get enough sleep.

In Seoul — which was the first to institute that laws — and Gyeonggi, cram schools and educational institutions are allowed to be open until 10 p.m., while in Incheon, closing times vary from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. depending on the education level of the students.

Despite these regulations and crackdowns from local education offices, the demand for late-night sessions persists.

“Parents would rather have their children at cram schools than at home, where they might be on their phones or playing games until dawn,” said a math teacher.

As there is demand from the parents, cram schools continue the late-night sessions despite the risk of being caught.

“Many cram schools deliberately keep students until midnight because parents are satisfied with the extra study time,” said one instructor who wished to remain anonymous.

Another math teacher from Ilsan, Goyang, in Gyeonggi, mentioned that some cram schools that secretly stay open beyond the regulated hours share tips with others on how to avoid getting caught.

People pass by a flyer advertising medical school admissions in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, in southern Seoul, in April. [NEWS1]

Experts attribute the surge in late-night cram school classes to the controversy over increasingly difficult college entrance exams (CSAT) and the intense competition fueled by the craze for medical school admissions.

According to data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 78.5 percent of students nationwide from elementary to high school received private education last year, a slight 0.2 percent increase from 2022. The average hours spent on private education per week also increased to 7.3 hours last year, a 0.1-hour jump on year.

This increase in private education hours is likely impacting students' sleep. The average weekday sleep duration for teenagers last year was 8 hours and 12 minutes, a reduction of eight minutes from 2020.

“Students often stay at cram schools until 10 p.m., continue with additional sessions until midnight and then go to study cafes until 1 or 2 a.m.,” said Koo Bon-chang, director of policy alternatives research at Noworry, an activist group dedicated to addressing the intense competition surrounding college entrance exams. “The excessive focus on private education is directly linked to the health and leisure rights of children and youth.”

BY SEO JI-WON, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]