Hagwon Culture, Why Korean Students Study Until Midnight, Explained
If a K-drama has ever shown a teenager rushing between school and a second round of classes well into the evening, that's not dramatic license, it's closer to a documentary. Around 78 percent of Korean primary and secondary students are enrolled in some form of private after-school academy, known as a hagwon, and the industry built around that fact is now worth roughly $20 billion a year.
| Registered hagwons nationwide | ~85,000 |
| Students enrolled (K-12) | ~78% |
| Total private education spending, 2024 | 29.2 trillion won (~$20.2B) |
| Spending as share of disposable income | 14-20% (highest in OECD) |
| Elite boarding hagwon monthly cost | Up to 3.5 million won |
The Scale of the Industry
As of 2025, South Korea operates approximately 85,000 registered hagwons, employing over 350,000 instructors, according to figures compiled by Seoulz. Korean households spent just under 29.2 trillion won, about $20.2 billion, on private education in 2024, an increase of 60.1 percent over the past decade, per The Korea Herald. Notably, spending actually declined slightly in 2025, dropping to 27.5 trillion won, a 5.7 percent decrease from the prior year's record, according to The Korea Times, the first meaningful pullback after years of steady growth, likely tied to the same shrinking student population driving the country's low birth rate.
Families with at least two unmarried children spent an average of 611,000 won per month on private education in the third quarter of 2025 alone, 12.6 percent of their entire household budget, second only to spending on food, and this ratio hit a record 13.5 percent in the second quarter of the same year.
Why "Until Midnight" Isn't an Exaggeration
The stereotype of Korean students studying deep into the evening is grounded in real scheduling. A typical academic-track high schooler's day often runs regular school hours, then moves directly into hagwon sessions covering the same subjects at a more intensive pace, frequently not finishing until 10 p.m. or later, before homework from both school and hagwon still needs to be completed at home. At the most extreme end, full-time boarding hagwons, aimed largely at students retaking the national college entrance exam (the Suneung) after a disappointing first attempt, have grown in popularity, with some charging up to 3.5 million won per month for a live-in, tightly scheduled study environment with minimal outside distraction, according to the same Seoulz analysis.
Where the Money Actually Goes
Spending isn't distributed evenly across grade levels. Between 2014 and 2024, spending on elementary school-age private education rose 74.1 percent, the fastest growth of any bracket, while middle school spending grew 40.7 percent and high school spending rose 60.5 percent. This pattern reflects a well-documented trend of Korean parents starting academic preparation earlier and earlier, partly in response to competitive admission tracks for "special-purpose" middle and high schools that themselves feed into top university admissions.
Why This Isn't Just a Quirky Cultural Detail
Korean households spend an average of 14 to 20 percent of disposable income on private education, the highest ratio among all OECD countries by a substantial margin. That's not a side expense, it's a structural cost that shapes major life decisions: it factors directly into the housing and savings pressures young Korean parents face, and it's frequently cited alongside those same pressures as a reason couples delay having children or choose to have only one. For K-drama fans, this context reframes a lot of familiar scenes, the tutoring montages, the "SKY" university obsession (Seoul National, Korea, and Yonsei Universities), the parental sacrifice storylines, as depicting a very real and very expensive system, not just dramatic shorthand.
FAQ
What percentage of Korean students attend hagwon?
About 78 percent of K-12 students are enrolled in some form of private after-school academy.
How much do Korean households spend on private education?
Just under 29.2 trillion won (about $20.2 billion) in 2024, though spending dipped slightly to 27.5 trillion won in 2025.
Do students really study until midnight?
Often, yes, a typical academic-track high schooler moves from regular school hours straight into hagwon sessions, frequently not finishing until 10 p.m. or later before homework.
How much does an elite boarding hagwon cost?
Up to 3.5 million won per month for a live-in, tightly scheduled study environment, mostly aimed at students retaking the national college entrance exam.
Related Reading
- Why Does South Korea Have the World's Lowest Birth Rate?
- South Korea Has Closed Over 4,000 Schools
- Why South Korea's "No-Kids Zones" Are So Controversial
- Korea's Population Crisis & Family Life, Explained
Written by the Hallyu101 editorial team, drawing on Korean government-linked spending data and financial press reporting.
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