English-language kindergartens in Seoul cost W1.36m a month, classes last over 5 hours

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English-language kindergartens in Seoul charge an average of 1.36 million won ($1,000) per month for half-day programs, with students spending more than five hours in class each day according to a lawmaker on Tuesday.

Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party and advocacy group World Without Worry About Shadow Education released the findings of a recent survey on early childhood private education in Seoul and five cities in Gyeonggi Province.

They said that the intensifying competition in private education for young children is detrimental to their mental development, increases financial burdens on parents, amplifies anxiety and widens the education gap. The early childhood private education market is estimated to profit 3.2 trillion won per year.

According to the survey, the number of nurseries and kindergartens is sharply declining, while private English academies for young children are thriving amid low birth rates. In Seoul, the number of closed nurseries and kindergartens was seven times greater than the number of half-day English academies.

Children enrolled in these academies spend an average of five hours and 24 minutes in class per day in Seoul, and five hours and eight minutes in the Gyeonggi Province cities of Goyang, Anyang, Seongnam, Yongin and Hwaseong. That is nearly two hours longer than the daily average class time of three hours and 20 minutes for first- and second-grade elementary school students.

“Early childhood is a critical period for holistic growth through play and diverse experiences,” said Chung Eun-ok, a researcher at World Without Worry About Shadow Education. “But long hours of rote learning disrupt brain development, reduce concentration, increase stress and hinder the development of social skills.”

The financial burden is also growing. The average monthly fee for a half-day English academy rose from 1.31 million won in 2023 to 1.36 million won in 2024. In comparison, the average monthly salary in Korea in 2024 was 3.2 million won.

Rep. Kang urged the government to take immediate steps to cool the overheated private education market and address deepening inequality in early childhood education.