Hagwon
Hagwon (Korean: 학원; [ha.ɡwʌn]) is a Korean term for a for-profit private educational institution. They are commonly likened to cram schools. Some consider hagwons as private language centers or academies operated like businesses apart from the South Korean public school system. As of 2022, 78.3% of grade school students in South Korea attend at least one and spend an average of 7.2 hours weekly in them.
| Hagwon | |
A building containing numerous hagwons in Dunsan-dong, Daejeon | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 학원 |
| Hanja | 學院 |
| Revised Romanization | Hagwon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hagwŏn |
Most children begin attending them by age five, with some even beginning by age two. The schools tend to focus on individual topics, including the English language, mathematics, and the college entrance exam, the College Scholastic Ability Test. Hagwons also exist for adults.
Hagwons have been a consistent topic of controversy in South Korea. They are seen as symptomatic of the significant competitiveness in South Korean society, and contribute to significant expense and stress for the majority of families who participate in them. They have even impacted real estate prices, with homes in close proximity to elite hagwons in significant demand.