From Go to jump rope: Kids in Korea look for more than academics in cram schools

Elementary school students play Go at an academy in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 3. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

 
Korean parents are famously dedicated to their children’s education. But beyond the usual cram schools, known in Korea as hagwon, for math and English, a growing number are enrolling their children in private academies for everything from Go, a traditional board game, to basketball, taekwondo and even jump rope.

 
“I go to a skating class after I finish my lesson at the Go academy,” said a third-grade student in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, as he arrived at the Go academy right after finishing school.  
 
“I also go to basketball classes,” he added, smiling. “I enjoy all of them.”

 

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More than half of elementary school students were enrolled in nonacademic programs like music, sports and the arts last year, according to the Ministry of Education. Spending on such classes has risen steadily from 4.39 trillion won ($3.2 billion) in 2022 to 4.87 trillion won in 2024.

Last year, the average monthly spending per elementary school student peaked at 442,000 won, nearly double the 231,000 won recorded in 2015.
 
While some elementary school students enroll in academic programs, many others spend their afternoons in more extracurricular programs, reflecting a broader desire among parents to expose their children to a wide range of experiences from an early age.  
 
So, what kinds of academies are these students attending, and why?

 
Nurturing hobbies, talents and cultural literacy
 

Professional Go player Kim Soo-yong, center, who heads the academy in Daechi-dong, southern Seoul, instructs elementary school students on a strategy as they play the game on Sept. 3. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

 
On a recent Wednesday afternoon in Daechi-dong, a neighborhood synonymous with academic pressure, a Go academy buzzed with young students. Some had arrived straight from school, others after already attending a different academy earlier in the day.

 
Kim Min-joon, a fifth grader, started playing Go four years ago.  
 
“I began because it looked fun,” he said, noting that his grandparents, avid players themselves, sparked his interest. “For me, playing Go is like a stress reliever. I come here mostly to have fun.”

 
His instructor, Kim Soo-yong, a professional Go player, has run the academy since 2018.  
 
“Most of our students are kindergartners at age 7 or in elementary school,” he said. “But as students get older, they usually leave to focus more on academics.”

 
Go academies are far from new in Korea. According to the Korea Education and Research Information Service, at least 55 academies with “Go” in their name are officially registered in Seoul alone.

 
“Parents often bring their children here to help them build concentration and develop healthy hobbies,” Kim said, emphasizing the widely held belief that Go has a “positive influence” on young minds.

 
In a recent Education Ministry survey, 65.1 percent of parents of elementary students said they enrolled their children in nonacademic academies to nurture hobbies, talents and cultural literacy.

 
Parents’ motivations, however, are rarely singular.  
 
“I feel like parents these days want their children to be good at everything,” said a mother of a sixth-grade student in western Seoul’s Mapo District. “They also want them to have as many experiences as possible.”

 

Elementary school students take part in a rhythmic jump rope class, offered as an after-school program, at a care center located in Sammun Elementary School in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang in an undated photo. [SOUTH GYEONGSANG OFFICE OF EDUCATION]

 
She noted that some parents even send their children to jump rope academies — yes, jump rope — where instructors prepare students for physical fitness tests required in school. These tests involve graded levels based on how many skips a student can complete, including techniques like double skips and cross jumps.

 
While the tests don’t carry academic penalties, parents still want their children to perform well.  
 
“My daughter learned to jump rope at her taekwondo academy,” the mother said. “So we didn’t feel the need for a separate academy, though many of her friends go to one.”

 
According to a 2020 survey by the nonprofit Consumer Network for Public Interest, each elementary school student in Korea attended an average of 2.3 academies. The most popular subject was English at 57.5 percent, followed by math, piano, art and taekwondo.
 
In 2023, elementary school students spent an average of 7.5 hours a week in private education, according to Statistics Korea.
 

A person walks by private academies in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on March 7, 2023. [YONHAP]

Young, but busier

 
Elementary school students represent the largest share of Korea’s private education market. In 2024, total private education spending reached 29.2 trillion won, up 7.7 percent from the previous year, even as the student population dropped by 80,000.

 
Of that, elementary students accounted for 13.2 trillion won, which was more than high schoolers (8.1 trillion won) and middle schoolers (7.8 trillion won).

 
While part of the reason lies in the fact that elementary schools cover more grade levels, the participation rates tell a deeper story: 87.7 percent of elementary school students took part in some form of private education in 2024, compared to 78 percent of middle schoolers and 67.3 percent of high schoolers.

 
The high figures aren’t only driven by academics. Many parents view the elementary years, especially those in the lower years, as a time to broaden their children’s horizons through cultural and creative pursuits.  
 

Top: Average monthly spending per elementary school student. Bottom: Why parents enroll elementary school students in nonacademic academies [YUN YOUNG]

 
“For elementary students, parents usually enroll their children hoping they’ll become more refined,” said Lee Seon-ah, a private viola instructor who works with young students.  
 
While many children start lessons reluctantly, Lee said, “they often end up enjoying them, especially compared to math or English academies.”

 
According to the Education Ministry data, the percentage of elementary school students taking private nonacademic lessons peaked in the second grade at 20.7 percent, which drops by sixth grade to 10.9 percent.  
 
Fifth-grader Kim Min-joon echoed that shift. “I’m quitting Go academy soon,” he said. “I am taking math classes instead.”

 

Elementary school athletes perform in the recognized poomsae category during the Daegu 2025 World University Taekwondo Festival held at Keimyung University’s Seongseo Campus in Dalseo District, Daegu, on July 6. [NEWS1]

Can schools fill the gap?

 
Experts argue that expanding in-school arts and sports programs could, in theory, reduce families’ reliance on private academies. But the reality has proven more complicated.

 
“When elementary schools introduced mandatory swimming, for example, private spending on swimming lessons actually increased,” wrote professors Yoo Jae-bong of Sungkyunkwan University and Kang Moon-sook of Korea International University in a joint study. 
 
“Events such as school arts festivals can also drive parents to seek private lessons in music and the arts.”

 
For many families, academies serve a purpose far beyond enrichment. They’re also a practical solution to the child care gap.

 
“In lower grades, classes usually end around 12:30 or 1 p.m.,” said the mother in Seoul’s Mapo District. “Since many parents don’t get off work until much later, academies fill that gap.”

 

An elementary school student studies Go strategies at an academy in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 3. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

 
The Go academy instructor in Daechi-dong echoed the same point. “Since many parents work, they enroll their kids to fill in those hours,” he said.

 
According to the Education Ministry, 18.1 percent of parents cited child care needs as the primary reason for enrolling their children in private academies.

 
Public schools do offer after-school programs, but their reach is limited. 
 
Schedules vary, but at one elementary school in Seoul’s Bangbae-dong neighborhood, lower-grade students finish these classes around 4 p.m. The space for these programs is also limited, registration is competitive and additional fees apply, though they tend to be much lower than those charged by private academies. 
 
For instance, a creative art after-school program was limited to 20 students, with two separate sessions starting at 2 p.m. for lower grades and 3 p.m. for all grades. At least six programs capped at 20 students run each day, which covers 17 percent of the school’s total enrollment.
 
The 12-session program costs 139,200 won, including materials. In comparison, an art academy in Gaepo-dong, southern Seoul, charged 230,000 won for just four lessons a month.
 
And for some students, the difference in quality is noticeable.

 
Fifth-grader Heo Yoon-sung first encountered Go through a school-based after-class program. 
 
But he said it didn’t compare to his current academy experience. “I feel like the academies have more structured curriculums,” he said. “I have learned a lot more strategy here."

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]