Academies Disguised as Study Cafes... Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Strengthens Inspections on Illegally Operated Academies

Check if more than 9 people operate inside the facility
"To shorten the gathering ban, quarantine rules must be followed"

On November 30 last year, three days before the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test, anxiety among test-takers grew as the spread of COVID-19 showed no signs of slowing down. Tension filled the academy district in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on that day. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is launching a large-scale inspection of academies in the metropolitan area where gatherings of nine or more people are allowed.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 12th that it is conducting on-site inspections of academies together with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and will strengthen these efforts.

Recently, the ban on gatherings at academies in the metropolitan area has been partially eased. However, issues have been raised regarding operations exceeding nine people inside facilities or academies being illegally operated as study cafes.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to prevent such illicit operations. A representative from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "We hope that the government’s quarantine guidelines will be strictly followed to minimize the duration of the gathering ban and to normalize academy operations."

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