Will Online Platforms Replace Korea’s Hagwon Culture

Haeun Lee, Hyeonbin Han

South Korean students' after-school learning methods are shifting from offline to online and this movement of change clearly reveals both advantages and limitations compared to other education systems.

Information and Community Technology are bringing about the growth of platform services that connect people together. And with the help of Covid-19, these offline services are growing faster than ever, establishing a trend in the education industry.

Futsal matches are scheduled through an online platform

A building at Daechi-Dong full of hagwons

“Soomgo,” “Seoltab,” and “Kwanda” are just a few of the many online education-related applications that show rapid growth in the industry. “Soomgo” experienced 160% growth along with " Seoltab" which reached a growth rate of 160% within the year, 2020 to 2021. Not to mention “Kwanda” has recorded a number of 38 million cumulative application downloads and 9.8 million actual users.

Online education platform advertisement on a bus

As people walk down the street of Daechi-dong, a popular hagwon district in Seoul, they can see advertisements about these online education platforms. They are commonly associated with one-on-one tutoring that helps students find a mentor who

is more suitable to teach according to individual goals and purposes whether it is related to their career, hobby, and even studies.

Student gets online tutoring in a cafe

Both students and tutors show satisfaction when it comes to the services provided by online applications that cannot be found in offline classes. First, the tutoring platform has the advantage of saving time traveling to and from a class. Also, both the teacher and the student are relatively free from the need for classroom space. Next, it reduces the difference in terms of education quality that students can get among different regions in the country. Lastly, it offers personalized services fit for the student compared to academies that require managing a large number of students.

1 on 1 tutoring leaflet

All in all, students can easily search for and choose from a wider range of teachers to learn from as it is an important factor to get support from someone related to the field they aim to apply for in the future.

“It was favorable for me to use it to meet high-educated tutors who I want to learn from. Each of us has different goals in terms of what university or major we want to apply for. And depending on that goal, we want different tutors. We all want a mentor who is in a related field. This way, I can earn relevant information. Also, I feel motivated to work harder to reach my goal. I think this is one positive aspect of using the applications.

- Interview from Eun Hee Jung (18) a previous user of Seoltab

Students studying on their way to hagwon

Online tutoring may seem to replace academies as well as face-to-face education. But there are limitations that have to be overcome.

First, it is a matter of student concentration. If classes are done face-to-face, teachers can continuously check the student’s progress and whether they are concentrating. However, in the case of online classes, the teacher’s guidance on class attitude may not be effectively applied. It is difficult to know and check if the student is listening to instructions, and also if they did their homework properly. In addition, classes held on screens are unstable due to technical issues. For certain applications, the same server problem has been continuously raised. Last but not the least, the platform regulations on the instructional system are difficult to adjust since there should be an agreement between the student, the platform, and the tutor.

Users post and share problems about the application

Teacher Kim Do-yeon (37) said, “I hope it will be a new means to communicate with students, not only about academic matters but also in other areas where the student might need help. It will certainly help because students these days are more comfortable talking about their problems through an anonymous form. The platform should support the users and develop the application in order for the tutors to teach and provide feedback tailored to the student’s needs.”

Offline class ongoing late in the evening

Overall, there are things to overcome, in both the on and offline education systems. Nevertheless, as students use it to get help in fulfilling their goals and dreams, the industry should work to provide the best education that leads students rightfully and not hinder them.