"Unable to Cover Rent and Labor Costs" Academies Reopening... What Do You Think?

Seoul Academy and Private Institute Closure Rate Drops Sharply from 42% to 24%
Prolonged Closures Deepen Financial Struggles for Academies...Parents Also Concerned About 'Learning Gaps'
Government: "If Academies' Social Distancing Is Inadequate, Other Measures Will Be Considered"

On the afternoon of the 16th, Songpa-gu Office officials are conducting disinfection work at an academy in Songpa-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Juhyung Lim] Amid concerns over the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the nationwide school semester start date has been postponed to April 6, yet it has been confirmed that a significant number of hagwons and private tutoring centers have reopened.

As a result, some voices have raised concerns that hagwons might become hotspots for COVID-19 cluster infections. However, both hagwons struggling with financial difficulties and parents worried about academic gaps hold opposing views, making the debate over hagwon reopening expected to intensify.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, as of the 17th, only 23.8% (6,004 locations) of the 25,231 hagwons and private tutoring centers in Seoul remain closed. Compared to 42.1% (10,627 locations) that were closed on the 13th, a considerable number of hagwons have reopened. The closure rate dropped by 18.3 percentage points in just three days.

In particular, the closure rate in Gangnam and Seocho districts, known as major hagwon clusters, was only 16.95%. Many large hagwons such as Megastudy Hagwon, Jongno Hagwon, and Cheongsol Hagwon also reopened during this period, which contributed to the sharp decline in the closure rate.

This movement by hagwons contradicts the government's request for voluntary closures in the hagwon sector, sparking social controversy. On the 16th, Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, emphasized at a briefing held at the Government Seoul Office regarding the postponement of school openings, "We once again appeal for hagwons to cooperate and participate in 'social distancing.' If this is not properly implemented, we will have to consider other measures."

Some citizens even submitted a national petition requesting the mandatory closure of private academies. / Photo by National Petition Board capture

Civil society expresses concern that as hagwons gradually reopen and students resume group activities, the risk of community infection spreading will increase. This is because if students become infected, there is a high risk of transmission to vulnerable adults through public transportation and households.

Consequently, the Blue House's public petition board has been flooded with petitions demanding the mandatory closure of hagwons. One petitioner stated, "Even though school closures have been ordered, if students gather at hagwons, I don't see the point of the 'social distancing' campaign," and insisted, "Hagwon closures must be enforced."

However, hagwon representatives argue that worsening financial difficulties make it impossible to delay reopening any longer. They claim that their finances have already deteriorated after voluntarily closing for about three weeks since February 24, following government recommendations.

A person operating a hagwon in Gangseo-gu, identified as A, explained, "Even just the rent is a burden, and when you consider labor costs, it's hard not to reopen," adding, "We are operating while paying close attention to hygiene management such as students wearing masks and hand sanitization."

Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye is entering the briefing room at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 17th to announce the third delay plan for the nationwide reopening of kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools. / Photo by Asia Economy DB

Some parents, worried about the 'academic gap' caused by the delayed semester start, are also supporting hagwon reopenings. B, who has a middle school child, said, "The academic schedule keeps getting postponed, and if only my child takes a break, I feel anxious that they will fall behind later," adding, "Since others around me are sending their children (to hagwons), it seems inevitable."

Another parent, C, said, "I know some parents have switched to private tutoring, but the cost is burdensome," and added, "I think sending children to hagwons is the best option."

Meanwhile, the government plans to prepare support measures for hagwon self-employed business owners facing economic difficulties to encourage voluntary closures.

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo explained at the briefing, "We will ease the application requirements for small business management stabilization funds and launch a special guaranteed loan product for 'safety-first hagwons' within March to strengthen support for small hagwons," adding, "We will systematically support hagwons in cooperation with local governments and education offices, including quarantine support."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.