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ENA's new K-Drama "Mother and Mom" presents a new and humorous take on the ruthless world of South Korea's private education. The drama delves into the world of "Daechi moms," the cultural phenomenon of mothers obsessed with their children's academic performance. The term comes from Daechi-dong in Seoul's Gangnam District—a district renowned for being the refuge of private academies, or hagwons.
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With a declining number of students, South Korea's spending on private education hit a record high in 2024, according to government figures. In this article, we examine how "Mother and Mom" captures this paradox and what it says about the reality of South Korea’s education system.
How "Mother and Mom" is Different from Other Academic Dramas
ENA
Against the backdrop of the ruthlessly cutthroat Daechi district, "Mother and Mom" satirically but acutely depicts the anxieties of preschool and private education. The drama follows Lee JungEun (played by Jeon HyeJin), a working mother who hires her own mother, Yoon JiAh (played by Jo MinSoo), to chauffeur her daughter to various academies in preparation for the "seven-year-old exam," a high-pressure test for acceptance into top English-language academies. In order to secure her child's educational future, JungEun will do anything, from consulting pseudo shamans to pretending to be ill to secure highly coveted English education materials.
Unlike the melodramatic, heavy themes of "Sky Castle," "The Penthouse: War in Life," and "Green Mother’s Club," "Mother and Mom" is more lighthearted. The biggest difference is that it focuses on early childhood education, rather than middle school, high school, or College Scholastic Ability Tests (CSAT). The drama centers around the increasing competitiveness of entrance into prestigious elementary schools and prestigious English academies— a South Korean phenomenon that is growing.
The Reality of Private Education: "Four-Year-Old Exams" and "Seven-Year-Old Exams"
ENA
Most surprising about "Mother and Mom" is the way it depicts young kids sitting for English tests that are difficult to get into high-end academies. This is not a work of fiction, but rather a reality in Daechi-dong, where four- and seven-year-olds now take entrance exams. Entrance exams are designed to assess English proficiency at levels far beyond the age of the children, with questions at times being on the same level as university entrance exams.
The "five-year-old exam" is so notorious for its difficulty that parents bring their kids to private tutoring from as young as four. Some parents even send themselves to internet courses to learn how to tutor their kids for the exams. The phenomenon is expertly dramatized in the drama, which sees young kids competing in a bid to "level up" in their academies.
Rising Private Education Spending in South Korea
Kpopmap
According to a survey released by Ministry of Education on March 13, 2025, 815.4 billion won ($560 million) was invested by parents in private after-school classes for their infants and toddlers between July and September. Nearly half of all children under six years of age had private schooling, with average monthly spending at 332,000 won per child.
For toddlers under two years of age, only 24.6% had private schooling, with average monthly spending at 145,000 won. For five-year-olds, 81.2% had private schooling, with average monthly spending at 435,000 won.
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