"High Salary" VS "Low Price High Quality"‥Controversy Over Ilta Instructors Continues

Government Targets 'Private Education Cartel' Causing 'Killer Questions'
Some Instructors Criticize Yoon's CSAT Remarks, Asking "Is a Billion-Won Salary Fair?"

The Presidential Office and the Ministry of Education are targeting the 'private education cartel' related to the creation of 'killer questions' on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), drawing attention to high-paid 'Ilta instructors.' Ilta instructors are a shortened term for 'Number One Star Instructors,' referring to instructors who rank first in sales in each subject.

Academies in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 23rd.
Photo by Yonhap News

After some Ilta instructors posted comments on social media that seemed to criticize President Yoon Seok-yeol's remarks on CSAT question creation, certain quarters, including the ruling party, have directed criticism toward these highly paid instructors.

On the 21st, Lee Cheol-gyu, Secretary-General of the People Power Party, stated on a radio broadcast, "Is it fair market pricing for some instructors, who are suppliers in the education market, to earn 10 billion to 20 billion won annually?" He added, "Taking excess profits is a crime and a social evil." Jang Ye-chan, a senior youth committee member, also questioned on the radio, "Is the current structure and education system, where certain Ilta instructors earn hundreds of billions of won annually rather than just tens of billions, truly fair and proper?"

However, the core issue regarding the 'private education cartel' targeted by the government is whether there is a certain 'collusion' force that creates questions which are 'impossible to solve through school classes alone,' thereby forcing reliance on private education and enriching private education companies. Therefore, some argue that targeting these instructors somewhat misses the essence of the problem.

Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, expressed the opinion that "Constantly demonizing private education and high earners and creating division does not seem right." Ha Tae-kyung, also from the People Power Party, pointed out, "Internet lectures have significantly lowered private education costs in South Korea," adding, "It is wrong to disparage and stigmatize Ilta instructors."

Within the industry, there is a sense of injustice regarding the government's recent targeting of the 'private education cartel' being linked to criticism of Ilta instructors. The structure of online lectures allows for high profits because, even though the lecture fees per student are not high, the number of students can reach hundreds of thousands. Among examinees, there is also a counterargument that these Ilta instructors provide high-quality lectures at relatively affordable prices, enabling students in provinces who cannot attend academies in Daechi-dong to access the lectures.

Recently, a post on social media attracted attention, claiming that "Ilta instructors are giving private tutoring costing 5 million won per month while selectively providing killer questions through connections with the Ministry of Education." In response, an industry insider representing many Ilta instructors stated, "Ilta instructors mainly conduct online lectures and do not engage in secret private tutoring. It is actually less cost-effective," adding, "Lecture fees are paid by card and taxes are thoroughly managed, so there is no illegality."

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