[Power K Woman] Yoon Hyejung and the "Butterfly Effect" of Public Education: "Until the Students Who See Me as a Role Model Grow Up"

Interview with Yoon Hyejung, Creator of EBS "Butterfly Effect of Concepts"
"Parent-Directed Learning Has Reached Its Limit... We Need to Focus on Our Own Children"
"I Hope School Becomes a Place Where Students Discover the Joy of Learning"

In South Korea, where private education has become a constant, there is a teacher who steadfastly demonstrates the strength of public education. Teacher Yoon Hyejung has been teaching Korean language at schools and on EBS since 2007. She is known as a "top instructor" and is now in her 22nd year as a Korean language teacher.

She has often been asked, "Why don't you enter the private education market when you easily could?" Yoon is firm in her response: "They are entirely different professions." She has even been offered salaries 100 times her current pay, but these offers have never swayed her decision. She said, "I often hear 'thank you' from unexpected places," and added, "The sense of fulfillment and pride I feel from teaching students at school and on EBS is more than enough, so I have never seriously considered moving to private education."

Yoon hopes that school will become a place for students to discover the joy of learning, not just a stepping stone to university. Just as she has led projects to support students’ self-directed learning, her dream is to be a teacher who pays close attention to each individual student. While she says there is no particular reason for staying in public education, her desire to remain in her role until students who see her as a role model become teachers themselves feels like the most important and precious reason of all. We met her on August 26, after she became a role model for public education.

Yoon Hyejung, a teacher at Gangil High School, is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Jo Yongjun

-What inspired you to become a Korean language teacher?

▲I didn't dream of becoming a teacher from a young age. In my senior year of high school, I wanted to be a TV producer. When applying to universities, I ultimately chose education as my major among the programs I was accepted to. In my freshman year, I wanted to become a history teacher. However, I thought that as a Korean language teacher, I would be able to meet and interact with more students than as a history teacher. After experiencing student teaching, my desire to become a teacher grew even stronger.

-What is your most memorable experience as a teacher?

▲There are so many. This is my 22nd year as a teacher, and every year, the moments that make me proud are when I see students change, whether in their daily lives or in their attitudes toward studying. I also feel very proud when I sense that the students truly believe that I am on their side.

-You have led projects to help students improve their study habits. Could you tell us more?

▲Last year, I became the homeroom teacher for second-year students. Some students had poor grades or lacked motivation, but upon closer observation, I found that they also wanted to improve their grades. Regardless of whether their grades were good or not, all students had concerns about academics, grades, and their future paths. They simply didn't know how to start, so they didn't even try. I accepted applications from students who lacked basic academic skills and selected EBS lectures for each subject to help them build a foundation. In a group chat, I shared study plans, and when students uploaded verification photos according to the plan, I would check them off on a chart and share the results again. By completing each lecture one by one, they gradually built up their basics. For students who struggle with self-directed learning, it is difficult to complete EBS online lectures on their own, but with the guidance of their homeroom teacher, they succeeded.

Teacher Yoon Hyejung of Gangil High School is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Jo Yongjun

-How did your signature EBS lecture series, "The Butterfly Effect of Concepts," come about?

▲Even I didn't know how to study Korean in high school and just solved a lot of problems. After becoming a teacher, I realized, "Students shouldn't study this way." I felt I needed to give students tools to study independently. At that time, the concept of "concepts" in Korean language studies was almost nonexistent. When creating EBS lecture materials, I broke down every item and question from the upper and lower-level Korean textbooks and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation's past exam questions, categorizing them by topic and adding examples and literary works. I also included easier questions for students who had mastered the concepts. The first lecture was called "Proper Reading with Concepts." At that time, we had to change the lecture name every year, and the next year, we came up with "The Butterfly Effect of Concepts." I named it in less than five minutes, thinking that if students grasped the concepts, they could study on their own and achieve "butterfly effect" results. The following year, we were supposed to change the name again, but the chief producer said he liked "The Butterfly Effect of Concepts," so we kept it, and that's how it has continued to this day.

-Despite being a top Korean language instructor, you have chosen to remain in public education instead of entering the private sector.

▲It may seem natural for teachers who become well-known at school to move into private education, but in reality, while there are similarities, they are entirely different professions. In our society, there is a tendency to prioritize fame and income. I have received many offers, and the signing bonuses alone are about 100 times my annual salary. However, strangely, I have never been seriously tempted. When I visit schools or start at a new one, many teachers thank me for staying with EBS and continuing to teach. Above all, I am able to do what I can in my current position and I don't feel any sense of lack. Many students also say they want to make me their role model. Some students have achieved their dream of becoming teachers with the thought, "I want to share with many students at EBS, just like she did." I want to stay in my position until those students grow up. There's no bigger reason than that.

-What are your thoughts on the phenomenon of private education being prioritized over public education?

▲It's a painful issue. I am also a parent, and I feel that in this society, there is a widespread belief that real studying is done at private academies, and that school is just a place for checking progress. As competition intensifies, people believe that what is taught at school is not enough, even if the teacher is excellent. Because of this atmosphere, parents don't focus on their own children but compare them numerically with others, pouring enormous amounts of money and energy into private education. Nowadays, self-directed learning has been replaced by "parent-directed learning" in both middle and high schools. I believe that this problem in our education system and the anxiety in society have reached a critical point.

-Do you think there is a solution?

▲While there are issues with top-down policies, I think a shift in perception at the family level is also important. Comparing with others inevitably leads to anxiety, so it's a very difficult problem. Parents need to focus on their own children, understand what they are good at and what they enjoy, and make choices and focus accordingly.

Teacher Yoon Hyejung of Gangil High School is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Jo Yongjun

-You seem to have a very busy daily life. It must be difficult to balance work and family.

▲There is so much to do that I need more time to handle it all. My solution is to reduce my sleep time. So, I have nothing to say to women who juggle both work and parenting. However, as a public school teacher, I was able to take parental leave, which allowed me to be where I am now. There are many women who cannot enjoy this benefit comfortably, but I believe everyone should be able to use it freely. I also think that husbands and wives should be able to take turns focusing on work and childcare. Although more men are taking parental leave than before, there is still a sense of reluctance. I believe we need a social atmosphere where people can take parental leave naturally and receive support without worrying about others' opinions.

-What is your vision for public education?

▲Some of our students say they enjoy coming to school. I can see that there are students who genuinely find school fun. Not everyone feels this way, but in the past, there were more students who said learning at school was enjoyable, especially in the lower grades. These days, however, students don't seem to enjoy coming to school. Some even drop out after taking internal exams, which shows that school is seen primarily as a place to get grades for university admission.

-What are your dreams as Teacher Yoon Hyejung and as a person?

▲Although I have done a lot of external work with EBS and elsewhere, I have always tried to make sure my students never felt my absence. In the future, I want to focus more on my students at school and become a teacher who pays attention to each individual. As a person, I sometimes think about starting a completely different career one day. I feel envious when I see the diverse dreams of my students. Since I have done my best as a teacher, I would like to choose a completely different profession someday, and I hope that this, too, can serve as an example for my students.

▶About Teacher Yoon Hyejung

She is currently a teacher at Gangil High School. She graduated from Sungkyunkwan University in 2003 with a degree in education and Korean language and literature, and has been a high school teacher since 2004. In 2007, she became an EBSi Korean language instructor for the first time, and since 2011, she has led the EBS "Butterfly Effect of Concepts" lecture series, becoming known as a top Korean language instructor for college entrance exam students. Despite offers from the private education sector, she has remained in public education, receiving the Minister of Education Award twice, in 2009 and 2024, and was selected as the best EBS language instructor for three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012.