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In the heart of Seoul’s affluent Gangnam District lies Daechi-dong, a neighborhood dominated by towering hagwons (private cram schools). Its skyline has become synonymous with South Korea’s relentless academic culture. The neighborhood is constantly pushing it further with multiple signboards promising the best education a man can ever get.
In 2025, this pursuit begins even before the kids' feet can touch the ground. Several four-year-olds visit Daechi-dong to read English texts, write essays, and solve math problems years ahead of their grade level. Far above their heads, the neighborhood looms as a microcosm of South Korea’s obsession with private education, reshaping childhoods, family finances, and even the nation’s demographic future.
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Daechi-dong: The Birth of an Education Mecca
Daechi-dong’s transformation into Korea’s private education capital began in the 1960s. A decade had passed since the Korean War, and the government was ready to build a nation of educated professionals. With rapid industrialization, competition for spots at top universities was intense, and hagwons were ready to offer the best solution close to elite high schools in Gangnam. By the 1980s, South Korea’s economy boomed, the demand for competitive education skyrocketed, and Daechi-dong flourished.
Parents flocked to the area, driving up real estate prices and turning modest apartments into multimillion-dollar properties. The K-drama “Reply 1988” captured this boom in one of its sequences between Kim SunYoung and Choi MooSung. Choi Taek (Park BoGum) had won a big sum, and everyone was suggesting his father invest it in various ways. During this interaction, Kim insists that he must purchase a flat in Eunma Apartments.
Today, there are over 950 hagwons surrounding the Eunma Apartments, their neon signs illuminating the streets late into the night. Many believe in the neighborhood’s feng shui, as it sends the highest percentage of students to Korea’s “SKY” universities (Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University), cementing its reputation as the nation’s education mecca.
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