Warning on Illegal Summer Dormitory Camps... Classes Held in Unauthorized Building Extensions?

3.44 Million KRW in 4 Weeks 'Aneun Study Camp'
Registered Only as Mail-Order Business Instead of Academy Law
Hoengseong Education Office "Plans to Seal Unauthorized Building Expansion"

Aneun Study Camp open chat room. In response to parents' inquiries, a representative from Aneun Study Camp stated that there are no issues with the registration of facilities and companies. (Provided by informant)

"This dormitory camp is held at a permitted location, right?"

"There is a learning hall, and since there are no illegally constructed buildings, I heard it is permitted. We only need to check the academy registration, and ‘AneunGongbu Camp’ was verified as a business under ‘AneunGongbu’."

A KakaoTalk chatroom with over 120 members. They gathered to inquire about the dormitory academy ‘AneunGongbu Camp’ to be held in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province. Whenever some parents asked about the quality of lodging and meals or the legality, a representative of AneunGongbu Camp replied, "The summer camp will be held from the 17th to August 13th at a well-managed place." The representative said, "Since reporting to the county office is mandatory, we confirmed that all management aspects such as fire safety, quarantine, and groundwater are being handled," adding, "We will do our best to ensure a safe camp life by staying overnight with the students."

However, the education authorities have classified AneunGongbu Camp as illegal and plan to take action. This is due to concerns that regulatory evasion could lead to student safety issues.

AneunGongbu Camp is an illegal dormitory academy operated by Mr. Yoon, who has changed the company name over 15 years. It was previously operated under the name ‘Pang Study’ but changed to AneunGongbu Camp after losing the trade name to another company.

The 4-week education program at AneunGongbu Camp costs 3.44 million KRW. If students want one-on-one tutoring in subjects like Korean, English, and Math, they must pay an additional 220,000 KRW per subject. The participants range from first-year middle school to third-year high school students, who are at the age to seriously prepare for college entrance exams.

The 4-week summer camp course at Aneun Study Camp costs up to 3.44 million KRW. However, the location where the classes are held is an illegally expanded unauthorized building. (Source: Aneun Study Camp website)

AneunGongbu Camp operates without registering as an academy under the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Institutes and Private Tutoring (Academy Act). Instead, it is only registered as a mail-order business operator. In fact, the mail-order business registration number is displayed at the bottom of the AneunGongbu Camp website, but unlike other academies, there is no registration number for academy establishment and operation. According to the Academy Act, if an academy is registered, the business must meet facility standards such as proper fire safety and water supply facilities and hire instructors according to presidential decree. AneunGongbu Camp avoids these requirements by not registering under the Academy Act.

AneunGongbu Camp plans to conduct classes for nearly 300 students this summer in the large auditorium of the Hoengseong Koresco Condo. However, this auditorium was illegally expanded in 2017 and is classified as a violation building. The Hoengseong Office of Education considers the large auditorium at the Koresco Condo unsafe for educating students.

A Hoengseong Office of Education official said, "We plan to seal off the auditorium where classes are supposed to be held," adding, "If they break through this and proceed with classes, we will take action in cooperation with Hoengseong County Office." Previously, Mr. Yoon was reported by the Hoengseong Office of Education in 2017 for operating an illegal dormitory academy at the Koresco Condo and was sentenced to probation.

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